Ernesto Ibarra Jr. Sentenced To Prison For Distributing Fentanyl In Death
FORT COLLINS, Colo. (CBS4)- Ernesto Ibarra Jr. was sentenced to 175 months in federal prison for distributing fentanyl resulting in the deaths of two people. Ibarra, 45, was sentenced after reaching a plea agreement in a 2017 death.
According to court documents, Ibarra admitted to selling fentanyl pills to a man found dead on a bathroom floor in Fort Collins on Sept. 26, 2017. Next to the man, officers found a syringe, a spoon with liquid and what appeared to be a partially dissolved blue pill and another fully intact pill. The pill was round and blue and had the imprints "M" and "30" and resembled a prescription oxycodone pill.
The Larimer County Coroner determined the man died from "acute fentanyl toxicity." The pills, despite the imprint, color and shape of the intact blue pill, the laboratory analysis showed it wasn't prescription oxycodone, but fentanyl.
The FBI and Fort Collins Police Services investigation revealed that Ibarra used Facebook to communicate with the man and sold him pills which appeared to be prescription opioids several times in the days leading up to his death.
In the plea agreement, Ibarra also admitted dealing pills to a second man who also died of a fentanyl overdose approximately two days after buying pills from Ibarra. However, there wasn't enough evidence to prove that Ibarra dealt the fentanyl which killed the second man.
"Fentanyl pills disguised as prescription drugs are pervasive and leading to an unprecedented number of overdose deaths," said U.S. Attorney Cole Finegan in a statement. "Even one pill containing fentanyl can end a life. Please stay away from any pill that you haven't obtained directly from a pharmacist. Your life depends on it."
"The FBI is focused on building safe communities and keeping them free of dangerous drug trafficking," said FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Michael H. Schneider in a statement. "This sentence reflects the dedicated efforts of law enforcement and the determination with which we are investigating, disrupting and deterring the distribution of illegal and potentially deadly drugs into our neighborhoods. We are grateful to the Fort Collins Police Services and the U.S. Attorney's Office for their partnership and collaboration in this investigation."
