RALEIGH - United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. announced that United States District Judge James C. Dever III sentenced MIKKEL MCKINNIE, 31, of Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina to 120 months imprisonment, followed by 3 years of supervised release.
MICKINNIE was named in an Second Superseding Indictment filed on July 10, 2019. On August 5, 2019, MCKINNIE pled guilty to the distribution of fentanyl.
Investigation into this case began on Dec. 1, 2016, when the Fuquay-Varina Police Department responded to a reported overdose at a Fuquay-Varina residence. Inside the residence, police officers and other first responders found an unconscious victim in a restroom. Emergency medical personnel (EMS) were unable to revive the victim and he was subsequently pronounced dead. On the floor near the victim’s body, investigators found a metal spoon containing white residue and used hypodermic needles. The white residue from the spoon was tested and found to be fentanyl. Residue from the needles was also tested and found to contain fentanyl and heroin.
An investigation into the source of the drugs that killed the victim established that, in the days preceding his death, MCKINNIE sold a substance referred to as “China White" to the victim and others. This substance was found to contain fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid approximately 50 times more potent than heroin. MCKINNIE knew that the China White was extremely dangerous and even warned his customers of its potency.
The Fuquay-Varina Police Department investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Toby Lathan and Ethan Ontjes represented the government.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
