CINCINNATI - Omar Israel-Griffin, 27, of Cincinnati, also known as Deuce, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 235 months in prison for dealing fentanyl and heroin that resulted in at least one death.
Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Timothy J. Plancon, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and members of the Hamilton County Heroin Drug Task Force announced the sentence handed down yesterday by U.S. District Judge Michael R. Barrett.
According to the Statement of Facts in this case, law enforcement agents began the investigation into a drug overdose death on Nov. 19, 2015, after a man was found dead in his Anderson Township home.
The investigation revealed that Israel-Griffin had been the supplier of a fentanyl and heroin mix and an autopsy confirmed that the drugs sold by Israel-Griffin caused the death.
Israel-Griffin pleaded guilty in April 2017 to one count of distribution of a controlled substance. The defendant then moved to withdraw the plea, which was summarily denied by Judge Barrett. Israel-Griffin was also sentenced to eight years of supervised release.
“Dealers must recognize that they perpetuate tragedy when they distribute narcotics like fentanyl and heroin," U.S. Attorney Glassman said. “They are playing a direct role in the deaths of others."
U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the cooperative investigation by the DEA and Hamilton County Heroin Drug Task Force, as well as Assistant United States Attorney Timothy D. Oakley, who is representing the United States in this case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
