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District resident Sheldon Marbley, 44, was sentenced to 20 years in prison on five felony counts for running a drug trafficking operation in Southwest DC that caused the death of two people and left two others with "serious bodily injuries."
As part of his plea, Marbley acknowledged that he caused at least 13 drug overdoses - two fatal - in January 2022 near the area of First and O Street SW, not far from Nationals Park.
Prosecutors say that Marbley acknowledged that on the morning of Jan. 28, 2022, and in the days thereafter, Emergency Medical Service (EMS) and MPD officers responded to at least 13 fatal and non-fatal opioid overdoses in that area.
On that morning, the man said that he had distributed fentanyl and cocaine out of a Mazda in Southwest DC, deals that were caught on camera.
According to court documents, Marbley sold drugs to two elderly men who subsequently died from using the fentanyl and cocaine that was provided by their dealer.
Marbley also admitted that he distributed drugs to another man and woman who also suffered serious injuries from the product he was peddling.
However, despite the mass overdose event, Marbley continued to stay at the home of another drug user and customer, where he continued selling until he was apprehended in late March 2022.
“Fentanyl trafficking kills,” US Attorney Matthew Graves said. “(Marbley) sold a dangerous poison that caused the deaths of two victims and the near-fatal overdoses of more than 10 others.
"He then knowingly continued to sell this poison to others.
"This 20-year sentence not only sends a message to other drug peddlers, it puts a full stop to this trafficker’s career.”
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