Laura Kimble, senior drug chemist and forensic scientist with the Hamilton County CoronerÕs Crime Laboratory located in Blue Ash, shows some of the fake oxycodone, Thursday, March 24, 2022 that was seized in a large drug bust. Legally prescribed, the drug is used to relieve severe pain. It is an opioid analgesic. The fake pills contain fentanyl and acetaminophen. But though the drugs were confiscated in the same drug bust, theyÕre not all the same. Kimble said one pill tested with no actual drugs in it. She noted the discoloration and smudging of the letters. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid and is 100 times more potent than morphine. Covid Death Hit One Million
San Diego, California – A San Diego man has been sentenced to 18 years in federal prison for supplying the fentanyl mixture that caused two fatal overdoses in North Park in 2022, a case prosecutors say reflects the escalating human toll of the synthetic opioid crisis in Southern California and across the nation.
U.S. District Court Judge Cathy Ann Bencivengo handed down the sentence Friday for 41-year-old Scott Anthony Sargent. Prosecutors had pushed for the maximum 20-year term, arguing that Sargent not only provided the drugs that killed a 40-year-old woman and a 35-year-old man, but continued selling fentanyl even after witnessing the fatal consequences firsthand.
“This sentence reflects one of our Office’s priorities of federally prosecuting and securing significant sentences for drug dealers who provide deadly drugs to their victims,” U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon said in a statement. “Nothing can undo the loss these families have suffered, but their loved ones’ memories drive our unwavering resolve to confront the fentanyl crisis.”
DEA Special Agent in Charge James Nunnallee echoed that message, calling the case “a tragic reminder” of the dangers posed by fentanyl and its analogues. “Eighteen years in prison reflects the severity of his actions and our unwavering commitment to stopping those who profit from this deadly drug,” Nunnallee said.
The case began in the early morning hours of November 10, 2022, when San Diego Police and DEA Overdose Response Team investigators responded to a 911 call at a North Park home. They found four people unresponsive. Two died before medical help could revive them. Sargent and another individual were administered Narcan at the scene and survived.
According to his plea agreement, Sargent admitted to distributing a lethal mix of fentanyl and para-fluorofentanyl — a potent analogue often linked to sudden fatal overdoses. Investigators matched the drug mixture found at the scene to additional quantities later recovered from Sargent’s belongings and storage unit.
The search of the home revealed a backpack containing 318 grams of methamphetamine, more than 26 grams of fentanyl and para-fluorofentanyl, and 13 bags of a tan powder containing roughly 438 grams of the same mixture. A duffel bag in the same room held additional methamphetamine and fentanyl compounds.
After Sargent’s arrest, investigators searched his storage locker, where they found two 40-millimeter semi-automatic handguns, more than three kilograms of methamphetamine, cocaine, and over 113 grams of fentanyl and para-fluorofentanyl. Prosecutors said the stash underscored that Sargent operated well beyond small-scale distribution.
The North Park overdose deaths were part of a broader pattern in San Diego County, where fentanyl-related deaths have climbed sharply in recent years. Federal and local authorities have increasingly turned to aggressive prosecutions to slow the flow of synthetic opioids and hold distributors accountable when their sales lead to death.
Sargent will serve his sentence in federal custody. For the families of the victims, prosecutors said, the case offers accountability — though not closure.
