SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (KOLO) – A Las Vegas man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for selling fentanyl to a Utah man that nearly resulted in his overdose death.
23-year-old Colin Andrew Shapard will spend 36 months on parole after his release.
Shapard pleaded guilty in December 2023 to distributing a controlled substance that resulted in the death of a Park City, Utah resident. An investigation revealed that Shapard had shipped the fentanyl via U.S. Mail.
The investigation into Shapard began in November 2021 after a Park City, Utah resident told investigators he obtained the drugs he possessed from Shapard.
The resident also told investigators that in 2016, Shapard was the person who supplied a dangerous synthetic opioid to two 13-year-old middle schoolers in Park City who died as a result of ingesting the substance.
Shapard would be charged in juvenile court for the deaths of the two teens.
Then, in December 2021, after obtaining a search warrant, investigators identified and seized two shipments of counterfeit blue M30 pills laced with fentanyl that were mailed to Utah from Las Vegas.
At the same time, the DEA learned that from December 2021 to May 2022, border patrol officials seized four illicit drug shipments addressed to Shapard from the Netherlands.
In October 2020, agents in Germany seized two U.S.-bound packages addressed to Shapard containing illegal amphetamine-based drugs. Also in 2020, agents learned that Shapard received a FedEx package to a Midvale, Utah address containing chemicals used to make GHB and or fentanyl.
In 2022, undercover DEA agents bought drugs from Shapard, who told the undercover agent that the blue pills he sold were legitimate pharmaceuticals bought from Canada. He also claimed to test every shipment of pills he received to confirm that they did not contain fentanyl. In fact, they did.
The Park City resident who overdosed was found unresponsive on the floor in February 2022. After administering Narcan and being taken to the hospital, the victim survived.
The following day, DEA agents discovered that the victim had overdosed on blue M30 fentanyl pills that were purchased from Shapard. Shapard was arrested on March 8, 2022.
“Community safety is a top priority for my office,” said U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins for the District of Utah. “Shapard not only knowingly sold dangerous synthetic opioids, but he did so while deceiving his customers about the nature of the product. Fentanyl is 100 times stronger than morphine and 50 times stronger than heroin. Had it not been for the quick response from the victim’s family and the fast acting first responders who administered Narcan this would have been a more tragic outcome. My office will vigorously prosecute those who distribute this poison in the state of Utah, particularly those who repeat the same behavior.”
“There is no outcome that can fully heal the destruction caused by Shapard’s actions,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Dustin Gillespie of the DEA Salt Lake City District Office. Nevertheless, today’s sentencing is an important step toward justice for the victim and the many family members and friends affected by Mr. Shapard’s distribution of deadly fentanyl. The tireless work on this case by some of DEA’s finest investigators is proof that the DEA is unwavering in its commitment to pursuing those criminals who seek to distribute poison in our communities.”
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