A St. Louis County man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for selling fentanyl that resulted in the death of a local woman, according to federal court records.
Forrest L. Smith, 37, pleaded guilty in May to one count of distribution of a controlled substance and two counts of distribution of fentanyl. U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk handed down the sentence on Thursday.
According to Smith’s plea agreement, the victim was found dead in her bedroom on October 5, 2021. Investigators discovered four capsules containing fentanyl at the scene and reviewed messages on her phone indicating she had purchased drugs from Smith through an intermediary the previous day.
The investigation continued when an undercover officer began communicating with Smith via text message in November 2021. The officer purchased fentanyl from Smith on November 8 and again eight days later.
The Drug Enforcement Administration reported seizing more than 55 million fentanyl pills and nearly 8,000 pounds of fentanyl last year. Testing by the DEA revealed that about half of these pills contained potentially lethal doses. From 2013 to 2021, there were over 258,000 opioid overdose deaths—most linked to illicitly manufactured fentanyl (https://www.dea.gov/onepill).
The FBI and Town and Country Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Granger prosecuted the case.
