A federal court sentenced Michael Jonathan Mefford, 24, of Chula Vista, to 20 years in prison for selling fentanyl-laced pills that killed a 20-year-old man in 2018.
The victim, also from Chula Vista and identified only as JP, died of a fentanyl overdose.
Mefford admitted that he sold the pills to JP on October 29, 2018, and that he knew these pills contained fentanyl.
Mefford also admitted that JP's overdose and death were because of the fentanyl-laced pills that JP bought from Mefford.
Ultimately, Mefford admitted that he transported multi-pound quantities of methamphetamine from San Diego to Kansas. Once in Kansas, Mefford distributed the methamphetamine to several people.
Detectives from the Chula Vista Narcotics Enforcement Team and special agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Homeland Security (HSI) led the investigation into JP's death. They quickly identified Mefford as the source of the fatal pills.
According to the ruling, Mefford offered counterfeit prescription pills for sale through social media platforms and sold up to 500 pills.
The sale of those pills caused not only JP's death but also another overdose in which the victim survived.
Mefford continued to sell counterfeit pills for months after both overdoses.
Federal prosecutor Randy Grossman warned that "if you are a drug dealer who sells pills and those pills result in death, you will be held responsible for that death."
DEA Special Agent Shelly S. Howe said of fentanyl that "one pill can kill. One pill can devastate a family. And a pill that causes death can send you to prison for many years."
Michael Mefford was facing life in prison to distribute fentanyl and distribution, causing death. However, his sentence was less because he pleaded guilty to the charges.
