By Ricardo Roura
03 Dec 2024, 11:43 PM EST
A man from Los Angeles County was sentenced this Monday to 25 years in federal prison for the sale of alleged black tar heroin that turned out to be fentanylwhich caused the overdose death of an 18-year-old young man.
The United States Department of Justice said that Gregory Hevener, 47, of Hawaiian Gardenswas convicted in June of one count of distribution of fentanyl resulting in death and one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin.
Authorities said the investigation found that the 18-year-old victim, whose name was not releasedresponded to an ad placed by Hevener on the OfferUp website in November 2020.
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According to the Department of Justice, the announcement said: “Black Tar Roofing Materials!”which is allegedly a coded language for black tar heroin.
“OfferUp records revealed that Hevener operated or had access to several accounts on the platformin which he advertised and distributed drugs, including heroin and fentanyl,” the Department of Justice said in a statement.
During a meeting at Hawaiian Gardens, The 18-year-old bought what he thought was heroin from Hevener.
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However, authorities said Hevener gave the teen what was a black tar-like substance. but it contained fentanyl and tramadola pain relief medication.
The 18-year-old young man, when driving home, he took the drug and suffered an overdose that took his life.
The Justice Department mentioned that in July and October 2021, local authorities and DEA members searched trash cans outside Hevener’s Hawaiian Gardens home and confiscated discarded plastic bags and Burned pieces of aluminum foil containing residues of fentanyl and tramadol.
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In December of that year, the authorities carried out another search and They found a plastic bag containing about 245 grams of black heroina digital scale, burned aluminum foil and a plastic bag with 1.2 grams of fentanyl.
Prior to Monday’s sentencing hearing, the Department of Justice said that Hevener had been in federal custody since February 2022.
In addition to serving the 300-month sentence in federal prison, The Justice Department ordered Hevener to pay $445,100 in restitution..
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