Woman sentenced for supplying drugs that led to overdose
Federal prosecutors are cracking down on people who sell drugs that lead to overdose deaths. For the third time in Maryland, the U.S. Attorney's Office has gone after the sellers and secured prison time.
In the latest case that wrapped up Monday, a federal judge sentenced April Lynn Baker, 30, to three years in prison. A nursing home worker in Western Maryland sold Methadone and morphine and gave it to Baker who then traded it to another man in exchange for marijuana.
On March 1, 2008, that man sold a $40 wafer of Methadone and $20 worth of morphine to Brandon Sgaggero, who was found dead in his apartment five days later. An autopsy concluded that he died of an overdose of the two drugs. Prosecutors said they found two text messages from the seller to Sgaggero asking whether he wanted more "shampoo," described as a code word for morphine.
More details here:
“Drug dealers should be on notice that they can be held accountable if anyone dies after taking the drugs that they distribute,” U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein said in prepared remarks. “We are partnering with local law enforcement to charge similar cases because holding illegal drug dealers accountable for drug overdose deaths may save lives.”
The Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office said in a statement:
This is the third federal case recently prosecuted in Maryland in which the distribution of drugs resulted in a drug user dying from an overdose. On December 20, 2010 Mark Alan Bryan, age 23, of Maugansville, Maryland, was sentenced to 14 years in prison.
In a another unrelated case, Robert Carroll Eichelberger, age 40, of Hagerstown, formerly of Boonsboro, and Kathleen Ann Harris, age 42, of Olney, Maryland, also formerly of Boonsboro, were sentenced in December 2008 to 20 years in prison, and 13 years in prison, respectively.
Categories: Confronting crime, Courts and the justice system, Crime elsewhere
Comments
I know that they're trying to go after drug dealers, but I really don't think they can be held responsible for people's personal actions -especially considering that in this case methadone and morphine are not street drugs.
Ok, if you cut the drugs with rat poison, and someone dies? Send that person to jail.
But under the current logic, shouldn't pharmaceutical companies also go to jail for supplying drugs that lead to an overdose. If they're doing a long chain of who sold the drugs to whom, it starts with the pharmacy.
Posted by: V | June 21, 2011 8:11 AM
We have to pay to incarcerate Ms. Baker for 3 years because she exchanged $60 worth of drugs for some pot. If pot was legal and she had just bought some pot Ms. Baker wouldn't have violated any laws. Brandon Sgaggaro was 30 years old at the time that he bought the morphine and methadone, did he not know that this stuff was dangerous, illegal and could cause death? Where is his culpability?
Federal prosecutors in Western Maryland clearly don't have much to do with their time. How much did 3 years worth of trial and sentencing of Ms. Baker for this $60 drug trade through the federal system cost all of us? Why aren't they chasing bigger dealers, manufacturers and distributors. This is petty low-level stuff that will have no impact on the actual drug trade.
Posted by: Cham | June 21, 2011 8:46 AM
Pharmaceutical products should be dispensed by Pharmacists using prescriptions from Physicians.
Until THAT aspect is resolved the rest of this dog and pony show will remain the utter farce that "the war on drugs" is.
ALL natural state agricultural product should be (re) legalized.
ALL pharmaceutical product should be (re) medicalized.
Get the criminal justice system out of it all.
Posted by: MrRational | June 21, 2011 2:03 PM
"Gotten" is not a word in any dictionary, anywhere.
The author should be ashamed, as it is clearly not a typo.
It is almost as bad as "axeing a question"
Posted by: Justin | June 21, 2011 2:51 PM
Seeing as pharmaceutical drugs kill twice as many people a year as illicit drugs and alcohol combined I wonder when they will apply the law to big pharma? The war on drugs is a failure. People with addiction related problems (and/or other social issues) need counseling and support from their communities not jail time that ultimately costs the tax payer so much more.
Posted by: Citizeni | June 21, 2011 6:22 PM
i don't agree, all drug addicts know that death is the risk u take, only greedy addicts die...it's the addict fault there dead, who held the gun to there heads and made him buy the drugs ? hard but true...
Posted by: Penny... | June 22, 2011 8:28 PM
You can teach a child to look both ways before he crosses the street but if he chooses not to do so...it's very tragic that Mr. Sgaggero made the decision that he did. I wonder if it had not been the drugs would it have been something else.
Posted by: Abigail | July 25, 2011 4:10 PM