WILMINGTON, Del. - United States Attorney David C. Weiss announced that Larry B. Wise, 26, of Wilmington, was sentenced on February 5, 2020 to 63 months in federal prison. Wise previously pled guilty to distributing heroin. Prior to sentencing, Wise agreed that his drugs resulted in the death of a 31-year-old man from Middletown, Delaware.
According to court documents, in early 2019, Wise was distributing between 130-650 baggies of fentanyl-laced heroin per day in the Wilmington’s Riverside neighborhood. Wise’s drugs, stamped “Dragon Ball Z," changed hands multiple times before they were ultimately ingested by the victim on Feb. 2, 2019, causing his death. Post mortem toxicology records showed that the victim had 6.7 ng/ml of fentanyl in his bloodstream.
United States District Judge Maryellen Noreika found that drugs distributed by Wise caused the victim’s death. As a result, she granted a motion by the United States to enhance Wise’s sentence, ultimately imposing a sentence of 5 1/4 years in prison.
Commenting on the sentence, U.S. Attorney Weiss noted: “This case is yet another tragic example of the destructive power of fentanyl-laced heroin. Drug dealers take note: if you knowingly sell a substance that may contain fentanyl and that substance causes death, we will hold you accountable."
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration as part of the First State Overdose Task Force (the “Task Force") with assistance from the Middletown Police Department and the New Castle County Police Department. The Task Force consists of state and federal law enforcement partners who work to investigate overdose deaths soon after they occur. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher L. de Barrena-Sarobe prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the District of Delaware or on PACER by searching for Case No. 01:19-cr-083.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
