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Marquese Smith pleaded guilty in May to the first-degree charge of strict liability for a drug-induced death for allegedly selling fentanyl-laced cocaine during the summer of 2019, according to Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina.
An investigation began in June 2019 when Maple Shade police responded to the Ryan’s Run West Apartment Complex and found the body of a 33-year-old woman who had fatally overdosed, Coffina said.
The Burlington County Medical Examiner’s Office concluded the cause of death was cocaine and fentanyl toxicity, the prosecutor said Wednesday. The investigation determined that the drugs used by the victim had been purchased from Smith, who was charged in October 2019, Coffina said.
Smith was prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Jeremy Lackey and Assistant Prosecutor Michael Angermeier, supervisor of the BCPO Gang, Gun and Narcotics Task Force (GGNTF). The investigation was conducted by the Maple Shade Police Department and county GGN task force.
Smith will not become eligible for parole until 85 percent of the prison term has been served.
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