Federal prosecutors are increasingly treating fentanyl overdose deaths as homicides, handing down harsher sentences in a bid to clamp down on opioid dealers.
Sergio Martinez, 28, of Lawrence, Massachusetts, was charged on July 11, for “aiding and encouraging a distribution of fentanyl that resulted in a death,” the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced. If convicted, Martinez faces a mandatory minimum of 20 years behind bars or a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, as well as a fine of up to $10 million.
