A D.C. man was sentenced to 16 years in prison for distributing fentanyl out of his Ivy City residence and selling the drug to a Virginia man who later overdosed, according to the Department of Justice.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Andrew Cooper, 47, admitted to selling fentanyl five times to an undercover officer and was arrested on Nov. 10, 2022. In addition to prison time, U.S. District Court Judge Amit P. Mehta ordered 36 months of supervision after his release.
Cooper acknowledged that he sold fentanyl from February to November 2021 and sold fentanyl multiple times to a woman and man from Fairfax County, Virginia, from Feb. 11 to Feb. 16, according to court documents.
“This sentence reflects the serious consequences awaiting anyone who callously litters our communities with Fentanyl,” U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves said. “Anyone considering peddling this poison needs to understand that they are likely to cause someone’s death, and that they will be held accountable for that death.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said that the man Cooper sold fentanyl to died of acute fentanyl intoxication on Feb. 16, 2021. The woman that Cooper had also been selling to found the man suffering from an overdose with a syringe containing fentanyl nearby.
DEA Special Agent Jarod Forget said, “Mr. Cooper profited by selling dangerous and deadly drugs such as fentanyl into our neighborhoods and disregarding the value of human life.”
A news release from the Justice Department outlines how law enforcement found $74,430 in proceeds from drug sales, a firearm and additional narcotics during a search of Cooper’s residence. The money found in the apartment and an additional $32,650 in proceeds seized from his bank account were forfeited by Cooper to the government.
“Today’s sentence emphasizes our commitment to the tireless work of investigating and prosecuting those responsible for fueling addiction and the deadly poisonings in our area,” Forget said.
