A Grand Junction man was sentenced to life in federal prison for his distribution of fentanyl that resulted in death.
Law enforcement officials were pleased with the conviction.
Bruce Holder, 57, was charged on both conspiracy and distribution charges and tried to destroy evidence after his arrest. Attorney Cole Finegan expressed regret that the events occurred and hoped the stiff sentence would serve as a warning.
“It has taken more than five years to get justice for the victims’ families," U.S. attorney Cole Finegan said in a recent Department of Justice press release. "We hope this brings them some amount of peace. We could not have gotten to this point without the hard work and dedication from our law enforcement partners at the DEA, the FBI, Homeland Security, the Grand Junction Police Department, and the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office. We hope this sentence sends a strong message to fentanyl dealers that we will hold you accountable to the fullest extent of the law if your illicit drugs kill people in our state.”
Holder, of Grand Junction, has been given a life term in federal prison, the release said. After an 11-day trial in April 2021, Holder was found guilty of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and counterfeit drugs, distribution of fentanyl that caused death, distribution of fentanyl, and distribution of a fake drug. The evidence at trial proved that Holder collaborated with a number of other co-conspirators; including his wife, children and other family members; to sell tablets that looked like real 30mg oxycodone pills but were actually fakes that had been spiked with fentanyl.
A young man used one of the pills in 2017 and passed away, the release said. Evidence presented at trial showed that the fentanyl in the fake tablets given by Holder and his accomplices led to the man's death. Holder and his accomplices continued to import and sell the fake medications despite being aware of this tragedy and hearing about other issues. Even after Holder's arrest in August 2018, this persisted. Additionally, trial evidence revealed that Holder discussed plans to obliterate evidence and possibly murder a cooperating witness with co-conspirators after his detention.
DEA agents praised the effort put into the case and wished the loved ones of the victims well.
"First and foremost, I want to thank the investigators and prosecutors who tirelessly worked on this case for years with tenacity and compassion," DEA Rocky Mountain Special Agent in Charge Brian Besser said in the release. "It was their relentless determination that made it possible for us to see justice for these families. There is no outcome that will bring back loved ones; but we do hope today is a small step forward for the families, and a stark reminder that DEA’s work to protect our communities from dangerous and greedy fentanyl distributors continues this very hour and we will not stop.”
