A Gaithersburg man who sold drugs that were later tied to one death was sentenced to 150 months in federal prison, federal prosecutors announced Tuesday.
Leandro Acevedo Lozada, 34, conspired to sell fentanyl, heroin and cocaine through street-level drug dealers from January to February 2017, prosecutors said.
Lozada supplied the fatal dose of acetyl fentanyl and fentanyl that killed a victim on Jan. 11, 2017, according to prosecutors. The victim had received the drugs from Lozada’s co-defendant, Bradley Wade Seabolt, 30, also of Gaithersburg, who had gotten them from Lozada.
Knowing their strength, Lozada used powdered sugar to dilute the drugs as a way of expanding his supply and protecting customers, prosecutors said.
“State and federal law enforcement and prosecutors in Maryland are working together to arrest and prosecute those who sell deadly fentanyl on our streets and in our neighborhoods,” U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur said in a statement. “… Working together with law enforcement partners, we are determined to reduce the number of opioid related deaths in Maryland.”
Law enforcement officers recovered 147 grams of a substance containing both fentanyl and acetyl fentanyl, 23 grams of cocaine and $4,452 from Lozada’s two residences.
Officers also found a loaded handgun, resulting in another charge against Lozada, as a prior felony conviction prohibited him from owning firearms or ammunition.
A message requesting comment from Lozada’s defense attorney, Michael Lawlor, was not immediately returned.
Seabolt was sentenced to four years in federal prison.
Charlie Wright can be reached at charlie.wright@moco360.media
