A Lockport man has been sentenced to more than 10 years in federal prison for distributing fentanyl, following an investigation into the death of a toddler. U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced that Javonte Holloway, 24, received a sentence of 128 months from U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo after being convicted on charges related to possession with intent to distribute acetyl fentanyl and fentanyl.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua A. Violanti stated that Holloway sold significant amounts of heroin, fentanyl, and acetyl fentanyl in the Lockport area. According to prosecutors, Holloway typically distributed these substances as counterfeit hydrocodone pills known as “percs” or “M-30s.” Between July and December 2022, he regularly sold counterfeit pills to a local couple who had a young child.
On December 2, 2022, Lockport Police responded to an apartment where they found the couple’s child unresponsive. The child was transported to Eastern Niagara Hospital and pronounced dead. Authorities seized several straws with residue and four blue pills marked “M” and “30” from the bedroom where the child was discovered; laboratory tests confirmed these items contained fentanyl and acetyl fentanyl.
Law enforcement later searched Holloway’s residence on February 1, 2023, recovering 27 round blue pills marked “M-30,” which also tested positive for fentanyl.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New York Field Division led by Special Agent-in-Charge Frank A. Tarentino III, along with the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office under Sheriff Michael Filicetti, the Niagara County Drug Task Force, and the Lockport Police Department led by Chief Steven Abbott.
