Darrick Monte Evans, 45, now living in Washington, DC, has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for selling fentanyl stamped as Oxycodone, leading to the deadly incident.
Prosecutors say that in March 2022, Evans distributed the misbranded fentanyl to a user who overdosed and died.
An autopsy later determined that the cause of death was fentanyl intoxication, and through an examination of the victim's phone records, investigators were able to determine that Evans was the one who sold the drugs.
Evans was convicted of felony distribution of fentanyl.
Although the Maryland Sentencing Guidelines called for a sentence between two and eight years, the prosecutor requested Evans to be sentenced to the maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, officials said, though he only got 16 years.
“There must be severe consequences for anyone engaged in the distribution of this deadly drug," State's Attorney Jaymi Sterling stated. "Fentanyl, especially fentanyl deceptively marked as a prescription pill, is inherently dangerous.
"In this tragic case, (Evans') criminal actions led to the loss of a life,” she continued. “Our office will continue to vigorously prosecute those who threaten public safety by trafficking this toxic and lethal poison.”
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