Feds Announce 20-Year Sentence Tied to Fentanyl Death

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by WILL FOLKS

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Federal prosecutors in South Carolina announced the sentencing of a Midlands man linked to the distribution of a fatal dose of fentanyl three years ago.

Vernon Antwan Martin, 37, of Columbia, S.C. was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison this week by U.S. district court judge Mary Geiger Lewis. Unlike the Palmetto State’s chronically lenient system – which routinely shaves years off of prison sentences – there is no parole in the federal system.

According to prosecutors in the office of U.S. attorney Bryan Stirling, in May 2023 officers of the Columbia Police Department (CPD) conducted a welfare check on a woman at an apartment in the city “after family and friends reported that they were unable to contact her.” The woman was found dead in her apartment, with an autopsy confirming she died as a result of a fentanyl overdose.

Evidence collected during the investigation revealed Martin distributed a counterfeit pill to the woman on May 30, 2023 which she believed to be Percocet “but actually contained fentanyl,” a release from Stirling’s office noted.

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U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents conducted a search of Martin’s residence following the woman’s death, recovering “additional narcotics, a firearm” and approximately $30,000 in cash.

“There is always danger in taking prescription pills that are not prescribed to you by a legitimate health care provider,” Stirling said in the feds’ release. “This case demonstrates how deadly a small amount of fentanyl can be.”

“This case is the result of law enforcement coordination at the local and federal level, and we’ll continue to aggressively prosecute those who bring fentanyl into our community,” Stirling added. “Our hearts are with this young woman’s family and loved ones as they remember a life cut short.”

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RELATED | MULTIPLE FENTANYL CONVICTIONS SECURED

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The investigation into Martin was conducted by DEA and CPD. The case was prosecuted by assistant U.S. attorneys Elle E. Klein and Ariyana Gore. 

Martin’s sentencing comes a little over a month after state prosecutors led by assistant attorney general Savanna Goude secured multiple guilty pleas in connection with ‘Devil in Disguise’ – a sprawling, five-county fentanyl investigation involving more than 100 defendants and 400 narcotics and related charges.

Additional ‘Devil in Disguise’ guilty pleas were secured by Goude this week in Greenville, S.C.

Keep it tuned to FITSNews as we continue to keep tabs on federal and state efforts to address the recent proliferation of fentanyl in our communities…

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…

Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.

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