Former Texas Tech Professor Gets 40-Year Fentanyl Sentence

Former Texas Tech supply-chain management professor Daniel Taylor, 51, was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiring to distribute fentanyl. Prosecutors say he sold white powder branded “Ghost” and a pink fentanyl-and-bromazolam mixture called “Pink Flamingo,” packaged with flamingo stickers. Authorities linked his operation to at least eight overdoses, including incidents requiring emergency treatment and Narcan. Investigators found drugs, packaging equipment and a handwritten recipe, while messages showed Taylor directing associates to use encrypted apps and delete conversations. Prosecutors said he exploited vulnerable women, some of whom helped distribute the drugs, and supplied fentanyl in exchange for sex.