CLEVELAND — A Cleveland man was sentenced to 15 years in prison Wednesday for selling the heroin and fentanyl laced cocaine that caused a man to fatally overdose.
Prior to sentencing, Terry Christian pleaded guilty to selling the drug mixture that claimed the man's life.
Cleveland Police responded to a call for a drug overdose at a hotel room on July 14, 2018. Officers found a bag of suspected cocaine on the dresser and suspected cocaine residue on the dresser and bathroom vanity, according to an affidavit filed in the case. The narcotics were tested and found to be a mixture of heroin, cocaine and fentanyl.
The packaging material was tested and DNA found on the package matched Christian, according to the affidavit.
A review of the victim’s phone and other evidence revealed the man who overdosed met with Christian on July 13 and exchanged several calls between them on that day. Shortly after the calls and meeting, the man who overdosed made a hand-to-hand transaction with someone in a minivan, according to the affidavit.
The case was investigated by the Cleveland Division of Police and Drug Enforcement Administration.
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Christian's sentencing is the first in the district to be applied in the death of another by "selling cocaine to a victim who was unaware that the cocaine was laced with heroin and fentanyl," according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's office.
