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Michigan man gets 20 years for distributing meth that killed 2 people

CBS News Detroit Digital Brief for September 27, 2023
CBS News Detroit Digital Brief for September 27, 2023 02:33

SOUTHGATE, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - A Southgate man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to distributing methamphetamine that left two people dead, officials said. 

Scott Sams, 54, convinced customers to "party" with him, taking "hot shots," a concoction of methamphetamine and Alka-Seltzer tablets, to increase their high, according to U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison. 

Sams met one of the victims at an Allen Park hotel room in May 2021.

According to investigators, he gave the victim a fatal dose of methamphetamine and then left the hotel as she overdosed and died.

Even after this victim died, Sams continued to distribute, and a few weeks after the victim's death, he distributed a fatal amount of methamphetamine to another victim, a man from Farmington Hills. 

Officials say local and federal law enforcement started investigating Sams after he was identified as a methamphetamine distributor in the Downriver area. 

"We are hopeful this sentencing brings a sense of justice to the victims' families, whose loved ones were recklessly endangered by the defendant," said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. "We are grateful to our law enforcement partners for their support throughout this investigation, particularly the Southeast Michigan Region Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Strike Force.  

Anyone who thinks they may have been a victim of this crime is encouraged to contact authorities by calling 1-800-CALLFBI (1-800-225-5324) or submitting a tip online

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