A Smyth County man who ordered approximately 30,000 fentanyl pills from California and sold them in Southwest Virginia was sentenced Friday to 42 months in federal prison.
Zachary Ryan Hutton, 21, of Marion, will also pay the United States a $50,000 monetary judgement.
Hutton had pleaded guilty in March to knowingly possessing with the intent to distribute, as well as distributing, 400 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing fentanyl.
According to court documents, law enforcement began investigating a flood of illegal pills in Smyth County, Virginia that resembled pharmaceutical-grade oxycodone pills that were inconsistent in size, shape, and color, indicating they were counterfeit pills. The investigation revealed that the active ingredient in these “pressed” pills was fentanyl. Pills of this type are sometimes referred to as “Roxicodone,” “pressed,” or “M30” pills and often have an imprint of an “M” on one side and a “30” on the other side.
In June 2021, the U.S. Postal Service–Office of Inspector General intercepted a package addressed to “Ryan Hutton” at the residence of Hutton’s grandmother in Marion. The package contained approximately 561 grams of pressed fentanyl pills.
Law enforcement conducted a controlled delivery of the package, at which time Hutton was arrested and found to be in possession of an additional 798 pressed pills.
During the subsequent investigation, law enforcement learned that Hutton had ordered fentanyl pills by mail for at least four months, received approximately 30,000 pills during that time frame, and paid a source in California $20,000 for the most recent package.
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