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How a former Montco deputy sheriff became the linchpin in a Chinese fentanyl-trafficking network

It started with an email from a sender identified only as "Alex." Within two months, David T. Landis had become a central distributor for an online purveyor of illegal drugs that shipped from China across the globe.

U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain, left, announces charges Tuesday against three Chinese nationals who allegedly recruited a former Montgomery County sheriff's deputy to serve as the main distributor for their online business selling fentanyl through the mail. Also pictured: William Walker, deputy special agent in charge for Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Philadelphia, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Clare Putnam Pozos.
U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain, left, announces charges Tuesday against three Chinese nationals who allegedly recruited a former Montgomery County sheriff's deputy to serve as the main distributor for their online business selling fentanyl through the mail. Also pictured: William Walker, deputy special agent in charge for Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Philadelphia, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Clare Putnam Pozos.Read moreJeremy Roebuck / STAFF WRITER
    by Jeremy Roebuck
    Updated 
    Published