Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Fentanyl Ringleader Navarius Westberry pulls life in Kentucky for overdose

Drug trafficking ringleader Navarius Westberry has become the first person in Kentucky sentenced to life in prison by a federal judge for causing an overdose death attributed to fentanyl, prosecutors said Wednesday. Westberry was given the life sentence for his role in distributing fentanyl that resulted in a 25-year-old man's 2015 overdose death in Richmond.

Prosecutors said Westberry displayed "a callous disregard for human life in his quest for easy money," and said the life sentence sends a strong message to other drug dealers.
Federal overdose penalties applied in the case allow for prison terms of 20 years to life. In Westberry's case, prosecutors said he led a drug ring that shipped large amounts of heroin and fentanyl from Michigan to Richmond, Kentucky, for distribution. The drug ring operated in Richmond from early 2014 until August 2015.