Texas man arrested in Oklahoma pleads guilty, faces life

Published: September 5, 2008

AMARILLO, Texas (AP) - A Panhandle man who authorities say tried to sell a 25-gallon drum of cyanide to an FBI informant has pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of prohibition against chemical weapons, the U.S. Attorney's office said Friday.

Jeffrey Don Detrixhe, 38, of Higgins, faces up to life in prison and a $250,000 fine when he is sentenced in November. He pleaded guilty Wednesday, the news release states.

Detrixhe was arrested in southeastern Oklahoma in May. FBI agents taped conversations with an informant in which Detrixhe allegedly offered to sell the cyanide for $10,000, a thermal imager and an assault rifle. The FBI affidavit also alleges Detrixhe bragged he could "kill a city" with the cyanide.

An indictment accused him of possessing approximately 62 pounds of sodium cyanide, four rifles, two revolvers, a semiautomatic pistol and a shotgun.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes cyanide as a "rapidly acting, potentially deadly chemical" that prevents the body from processing oxygen.

The chemical also is used in manufacturing, metallurgy and pest extermination.