Police chief wants tougher penalties for drug-related deaths

BISMARCK, N.D. (KVRR/KFGO) – Fargo Police Chief Dave Zibolski told North Dakota lawmakers Thursday that he strongly supports a bill that would increase penalties for drug dealers if someone dies from the sale of their drugs.

Zibolski said drug overdoses increased dramatically from 36 in 2018 to 91 in 2020, including 18 deaths last year.

So far this year, Fargo has had 24 drug overdoses and three deaths, the most recent was this past Saturday.

The bill under consideration would allow for a Class “A” felony charge with up to 20 years in prison for someone convicted of trafficking drugs that cause a death.

The current penalty is a lower felony charge that carries a maximum five years in prison.