Hudson Valley Drug Dealers Sold Fentanyl That Lead to 4 Deaths
A pair of drug dealers sold fentanyl that led to at least four local resident's deaths.
On Wednesday in Southern District of New York Court, Frank Moss, a Poughkeepsie drug dealer, was sentenced to almost 22 years in prison for selling fentanyl which led to the overdose deaths of two women.
Arnold Melendez a Poughkeepsie drug dealer whose fentanyl led to the overdose deaths of two men was sentenced to almost 16 years in prison.
Both previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute fentanyl.
Beginning in February 2017, right after he was released from prison, Moss and others sold fentanyl. In August 2017, he switched to selling fentanyl with the stamp “No Days Off,” which contained pure fentanyl.
One of Moss's co-conspirators learned that people were overdosing on “No Days Off” and warned Moss but he replied, “That’s what the people want,” officials say.
Two of his customers, Aracelis Batista and Julie Mach, overdosed and died in August 2017 as a result of using Moss's fentanyl.
A month after he was released from prison, in December 2017, Melendez began selling fentanyl to customers in Poughkeepsie, some of which he misrepresented to be heroin. On multiple occasions, Melendez's customers told him users were overdosing, but he continued to sell fentanyl, officials say.
Several of his customers overdosed on Melendez's drugs but survived after the administration of naloxone, according to court filings. Two indirect customers, customers of others who purchased drugs from Melendez, overdosed and died after taking Melendez's drugs.
The two cases are unrelated.
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