Man Sentenced To 10 Years in Prison for Lacing Counterfeit Pills With Fentanyl

LAS VEGAS – A man from Las Vegas was given 10 years in prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release because he sold fake pills that were laced with fentanyl and killed someone.

Gabriel Ulloa, who was 30 years old at the time, pleaded guilty to selling a controlled substance in May 2022.

In June 2020, Ulloa sold three fake M-30 oxycodone pills that contained fentanyl, according to court documents. Ulloa’s phone records showed that he knew he was selling fake pills.

A 27-year-old man who thought he was buying oxycodone pills from Ulloa died after taking fentanyl-laced pills that he thought were oxycodone pills.

Fentanyl is a Schedule II controlled substance that is 50 times stronger than heroin. It is a synthetic opioid. The Department of Justice says that just two milligrams of fentanyl, or the amount that could fit on the tip of a pencil, could be enough to kill someone.

In 2021, a record number of Americans died from drug poisoning or overdose: 107,622. Of these deaths, 66% were caused by synthetic opioids like fentanyl.

Credits: KTNV