Brandon McDowell Charged In Sale Of Fentanyl-Laced Pills Over Snapchat That Caused Overdose Death
RIVERSIDE (CBSLA) — A Riverside man faces a federal charge Friday in connection with fentanyl-laced pills sold over Snapchat that caused a fatal overdose.
Brandon Michael McDowell, 22, was arrested Friday morning at his home and was scheduled to be arraigned in U.S. District Court in Riverside. McDowell was named in a grand jury indictment charging him with one count of distributing fentanyl resulting in death.
Federal prosecutors say a 20-year-old identified in the indictment only as "A.C." ordered the counterfeit oxycodone M30 pills from McDowell on Dec. 22, 2019 and died after ingesting the drug at her Temecula home. An investigation by the DEA, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Riverside County District Attorney's office found evidence that A.C. had ordered the pills on Snapchat.
"This is another incredibly sad case that demonstrates the deadly threat of fentanyl that is now seen in a wide array of drugs sold on the street," U.S. Attorney Tracy L. Wilkison said in a statement.
Earlier this year, TV host and sex therapist Dr. Laura Berman said her 16-year-old son Samuel died after ingesting drugs laced with fentanyl that he had also purchased over Snapchat.
McDowell faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in federal prison if convicted as charged.