DOJ: 10-year prison sentence for Maryland man who had enough fentanyl to kill over 1.5M people
The synthetic opioid is 50 to 100 times as potent as morphine
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A 26-year-old Maryland man received a 10-year prison sentence Thursday after being convicted of possessing enough fentanyl to kill more than 1.5 million people, according to the Justice Department.
Devon Denzel Thompson allegedly had 3 kilograms, or more than 6.6 pounds, stashed in his home when police executed a search warrant there in 2018.
“Law enforcement partners are working together to arrest and prosecute those who peddle deadly fentanyl on our streets and in our neighborhoods,” Robert Hur, U.S. attorney for the District of Maryland, said in a statement.
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Thompson first drew suspicion when he fled from police during a traffic stop on March 16, 2018, tossing items out the window before officers stopped and arrested him, according to his plea agreement.
Police picked up the discarded items – which included drug paraphernalia and more than 40 grams of fentanyl, according to the DOJ. Then they searched his home and found the rest of the stash.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fentanyl is deadly even in small doses, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and synthetic opioids like it are the leading cause of overdose deaths in the U.S.
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Fentanyl can be 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, according to the NIH. It is sometimes mixed with other drugs, including cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA, which can lead to deadly accidental overdoses in people who do not even realize they’re taking it.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Police also seized $10,000 in cash and a .380-caliber handgun from Thompson’s home in Woodlawn, Md.
“Drug traffickers are on notice that dealing in fentanyl increases their odds of federal prosecution,” Hur said. “Devon Thompson added a gun to that equation and will now serve 10 years in federal prison, where there is no parole — ever.”
Thompson admitted that the drugs and gun were his and told investigators that he had the firearm in connection with his drug business, according to the DOJ.
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In addition to the prison term, he was ordered to forfeit $14,144 in cash related to drug sales and had to surrender the gun and ammunition. He pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute on Sept. 18, 2019.