Detroit Man Sentenced For Selling Fentanyl-Laced Crack That Killed Two
Saturday, February 1, 2025, 2:45 P.M. ET. 1 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
DETROIT, MI.- On Tuesday, January 28, 2025, Melvin Lamar Triplett, 43, of Detroit, Michigan, appeared in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan and was sentenced to 276 months in federal prison for his conviction of Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances; and Distribution and Delivery of Controlled Substances Resulting in Death and Serious Bodily Injury.
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Julie A. Beck, following a two-week trial in the U.S. District Court, a federal jury found Triplett guilty of distributing crack cocaine and fentanyl, resulting in the overdose deaths of two individuals and the near-fatal overdose of a third individual. Triplett was also convicted of a months-long narcotics trafficking conspiracy, which led to the distribution of the narcotics that killed the two individuals and nearly killed the third.
During the trial, evidence was presented revealed that Triplett was the leader of a drug trafficking operation that sold illicit narcotics to an established customer base.
Triplett Sold Fentanyl-Laced Crack Cocaine
In November 2022, Triplett distributed fentanyl-laced crack cocaine that caused multiple overdoses. Drug Enforcement Administration investigators traced the lethal narcotics back to Triplett, a previously convicted illicit narcotics dealer.
“Our office will vigorously pursue drug traffickers who push dangerous drugs like fentanyl and crack cocaine into our communities with indifference to the tragedy it inflicts. Thanks to the outstanding teamwork of the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Attorney’s Office, and multiple local police departments, a dangerous drug trafficker has been removed from our streets,” stated Acting United States Attorney Julie Beck.
