Hopkins Man Gets Life For Selling Fentanyl Online Linked to 11 Overdoses

MINNEAPOLIS (AP/KVRR) — A Hopkins, Minnesota man was sentenced to life in prison for selling fentanyl online that led to 11 fatal overdoses.

A federal jury in March convicted 32-year-old Aaron Broussard of 17 counts including distribution of fentanyl resulting in death.

Federal prosecutors said at trial that Broussard’s customers thought they were buying a stimulant similar to Adderall.

On March 12, 2016, Broussard placed a drug order for 100 grams of 4-FA, a controlled substance analogue, which was shipped from China.

The package actually contained 100 grams of 99% pure fentanyl.

Although Broussard had experienced a similar mix-up in August 2015 and was repeatedly told to test his drugs, he did not do so.

Between March 31 and April 27, 2016, Broussard sent his branded packages containing fentanyl to more than a dozen customers throughout the United States.

The customers had ordered and were expecting to receive an amphetamine analogue, similar to Adderall.

They were not opiate users and had no tolerance for the deadly fentanyl Broussard sent them.

After ingesting the fentanyl, believing it was Adderall, eleven of the customers died from a fentanyl overdose, and at least four customers suffered serious bodily injury.

Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that senior U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson told Broussard at sentencing Monday that his “disregard for human life is terrifying.”

His attorney had sought a 20-year sentence.