Alandre J. Gillbreath of Springfield, Ohio was sentenced to five years in prison Tuesday for possession with intent to distribute enough carfentanil to kill 700 people.
According to the United States Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of Ohio, Gillbreath was arrested in May 2017 when police officers responded to a report of a residential break-in and found him standing on the porch of the house. Gillbreath then reportedly removed a plastic baggie from his pocket and threw it into the yard.
“Officers picked up the bag, and forensic analysis at the Bureau of Criminal Investigation determined it contained 16.28 grams of a mixture of fentanyl and carfentanil. This amount is a quantity intended for distribution,” U.S. Attorney Benjamin Glassman said in a press release.
As The Ohio Star previously reported, Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner Thomas Gilson issued a public health warning in February after discovering a “significant increase” in the presence of carfentanil throughout the area. An analogue of fentanyl, the drug is 10,000 times more potent than morphine and is used as a tranquilizer of large animals, according to the DEA.
“Powerful opioids, such as carfentanil, will continue to be a serious threat to America and Ohio as long as drug dealers such as Gillbreath are willing to put themselves and the community at risk,” DEA Special Agent in Charge Timothy Plancon said. “Gillbreath was in possession of enough carfentanil to kill approximately 700 people. This case is a testament to the relentless determination of law enforcement to make a significant impact on the opioid supply in Ohio and to keep our communities drug free.”
Gillbreath pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute in December 2018, and was handed down a sentence of five years Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Thomas Rose.
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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of Battleground State News, The Ohio Star, and The Minnesota Sun. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
