SAN FRANCISCO – Gage Pascoe has been sentenced to 68 months in prison for distributing pills laced with fentanyl that led to the overdose death of a Walnut Creek woman, U.S. Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds and Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Wade R. Shannon announced. The sentence was handed down by United States District Judge William Allsup.
Pascoe, 23, of Pittsburgh, Calif., pleaded guilty on February 14, 2022 to a charge of distribution of fentanyl. In the plea agreement, Pascoe admitted that on the evening of June 16, 2020, a former high school friend came to his home to buy oxycodone pills. He sold her 13 M30 pills, which a lab test later revealed were laced with the deadly fentanyl. The next morning, the victim was found dead in her bed and the bag containing the M30s that Pascoe had sold to the victim was found in her bedroom. Pascoe agreed in the plea deal that the victim ingested the M30s he sold her and that she overdosed on fentanyl as a result.
The state filed a conviction saying that while Pascoe did not intentionally cause the high school student’s death, her death was caused by Pascoe’s indifference to her safety. Pascoe told the victim he would buy oxycodone pills from a street source he called “another link.” The government has indicated that dealing in street-bought M30 oxycodone pills is extremely dangerous. According to the DEA, counterfeit M30 pills routinely contain fentanyl, and four out of ten of those pills contain lethal amounts of fentanyl. A lethal dose can be as little as two milligrams. Pascoe essentially “played Russian roulette,” the government said, but it was the victim who suffered the worst consequences of Pascoe’s careless and grossly negligent behavior.
In addition to the 68-month sentence, U.S. District Judge Alsup also ordered Pascoe to serve five years of supervised release from federal prison and pay restitution to the victim’s family for funeral expenses.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexandra Shepard and Ross Weingarten prosecuted the case with the assistance of Andy Ding and Jasmine Sanders. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the DEA and the Walnut Creek Police Department.
One pill can killBeware of pills bought on the street. Fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance, is a very powerful opiate that can be diluted with cutting agents to create counterfeit pills that are intended to mimic the effects of oxycodone, Percocet and other drugs, and are typically available at below-real prices. Medicines. However, a very small difference in the quantity or quality of fentanyl can have a large impact on the counterfeit pills’ potential and can easily lead to fatal results. Fentanyl is now the leading cause of drug overdose death in the United States. Counterfeit, fentanyl-laced pills are shaped and colored to resemble pills legally sold in pharmacies. For example, counterfeit pills known as M30s mimic oxycodone and often contain fentanyl. These tablets are round and usually light blue in color, although there are many other colors, and “M” and “30” are printed on opposite sides of the tablet.
