A San Diego man was sentenced Friday to 15 years in state prison for selling a counterfeit oxycodone pill laced with fentanyl to a man who died after ingesting the drug.
Alfred Lemus Jr. pleaded guilty last month to voluntary manslaughter for his role in the death of Richard Summerfruit of Poway.
Summerfruit was 26 years old when he smoked some of the oxycodone and died on November 16, 2016.
Lemus, 31, also pleaded guilty to selling a controlled substance, possession for sale of a controlled substance, and possession of a firearm by a felon, according to the DA’s office.
This is the first fentanyl death case to be prosecuted by the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office.
“This person, just like a DUI, they knew what they were doing was dangerous. They did it anyway. Someone died as a result,” said Jorge Del Portillo, Deputy District Attorney with the Major Narcotics Unit.
Fentanyl overdoses in San Diego have rapidly increased with more than 40 deaths last year alone, according to the DA’s office.
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Del Portillo said the DA's office will handle fentanyl deaths on a case-by-case basis.
Fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more powerful and deadly than morphine, according to the Medical Examiner’s Office.
