El Paso Fentanyl Dealer Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Poisoning Death of 19-Year-Old
EL PASO, Texas – Two El Paso women have been sentenced in a federal court in El Paso prison for their roles in the fentanyl poisoning death of a 19-year-old single mother.
According to court documents, Kathy Lee Nicole Bradford, 32, coordinated the sale of M-30 pills to a woman in El Paso in April 2022. On Bradford’s behalf, codefendant Patricia Tafoya, 40, delivered 10 counterfeit M-30 pills containing fentanyl to the purchaser, who consumed some of the pills and, as concluded by the El Paso County Medical Examiner’s Office, died of acute fentanyl toxicity.
Bradford admitted in March to knowing the pills contained fentanyl, pleading guilty to one count of distribution of a controlled substance causing death or serious bodily injury. She was sentenced to 168 months in federal prison.
Tafoya pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess a controlled substance with intent to distribute. She was sentenced to 21 months in prison and ordered into a drug treatment program.
Towanda R. Thorne-James, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration's El Paso Division, and U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza of the Western District of Texas made the announcement.
The DEA investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Phillip Countryman prosecuted the case.
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