Silver Spring Man Sentenced For Distributing Fentanyl That Killed A Teen
Friday, August 15, 2025, 3:00 P.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
GREENBELT, MD.- A 27-year-old Silver Spring, Maryland, man, and local drug dealer who was facing up to life in federal prison, was sentenced on Monday by a U.S. District Court Judge to term of just eight years in federal prison for selling a counterfeit Oxycodone pill, laced with fentanyl that tragically claimed the life of a Bethesda, Maryland, teenage boy back in January of 2022, sentencing a family to a lifetime despair.
   According to U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes, on Monday, August 11, 2025, Mikiyas Kefyalew, 27, of Silver Spring, Maryland, appeared in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland and was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Deborah L. Boardman to 96 months in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to Distribution in a Controlled Substance, Fentanyl Resulting in Death.
According To Court Documents
According to court documents, Kefyalew knowingly and intentionally distributed a mixture and substance containing an amount of fentanyl and 4-Anilino-N-phenethylpiperidine “despropionyl fentanyl” to the victim, who was 16 years old at the time, resulting in his death. Kefyalew distributed the fentanyl in the form of circular, blue pills with “M 30” printed on them. These pills were made to mimic the markings on legitimate pills that one would receive from a manufacturer containing Oxycodone Hydrochloride.
“This case is a heartbreaking example of the horrific impact fentanyl is having on our communities, especially our youth,” U.S. Attorney Hayes said. “Unfortunately, no sentence can undo the devastating loss suffered by this young victim’s family, who will live with the consequences of this defendant’s ruthless actions for the rest of their lives. Our office and law enforcement partners remain firmly committed to seeking justice for victims of the fentanyl crisis and doing everything in our power to hold fentanyl dealers accountable.”
Kefyalew was subject to a higher sentence for knowingly misrepresenting fentanyl as another substance and for distributing it to a vulnerable victim. Although the Government requested a term of 13 years as part of the negotiated plea agreement, Judge Boardman sentenced Kefyalew to the downward sentencing range of 8 years. In addition to the prison term, Judge Boardman ordered Kefyalew to forfeit any and all proceeds from his drug-dealing activities and pay restitution to the victim’s family.
