A Chattanooga man received 21 years in prison on Wednesday after pleading guilty to distributing para-fluorofentanyl, a fentanyl analogue, that resulted in the overdose death of 19-year-old Charlotte Gallant.
Jonathan Bash, 25, sold a fentanyl analogue to the boyfriend of Gallant, misrepresenting the drug as ketamine, according to Bash’s plea agreement cited by the Eastern District of Tennessee U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Gallant and her boyfriend both overdosed as a result of using the drug. Gallant’s boyfriend suffered serious bodily injuries but ultimately survived the overdose.
Paramedics were unable to revive Gallant, who died shortly after ingesting the drug, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
In addition to serving 21 years in prison, Bash (pictured above) was sentenced to five years of supervised release.
U.S. District Court Judge Curtis L. Collier sentenced Bash. The United States Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Chattanooga Police Department investigated his case.
HSI Nashville Special Agent in Charge Rana Saoud said Bash’s 21-year prison sentence “highlights the serious risks fentanyl poses and serves as a testament to HSI’s collaborative efforts in combating drug trafficking.”
“Fentanyl has a devastating impact on our communities and HSI will continue to fight alongside our law enforcement partners to disrupt and dismantle illicit narcotics organizations,” Saoud said.
Fentanyl is 100 times more potent than morphine. Just two milligrams of fentanyl is capable of killing a grown adult, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
“This is a tragic case. Using any kind of narcotic acquired on the streets or even from a friend, regardless of how the drug appears to be marketed, can unknowingly lead to the use of fentanyl, and the effects can be lethal,” U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton, III added in a statement. “Our office will continue to prosecute these cases to bring justice to the community and the families of the victims, including Ms. Gallant and her family.”
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
