Kalamazoo County Men Sentenced For 2023 Mass Fentanyl Poisonings

Monday, June 2, 2025, 5:35 P.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

LANSING, MI.- Last Thursday, two Kalamazoo County, Michigan, men were sentenced to federal prison for their roles in distributing fentanyl-laced cocaine in April 2023, which resulted in numerous drug non-fatal overdoses and at least seven fatal overdoses in Kalamazoo County, Michigan.

     According to Acting U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge, on Thursday, May 29, 2025, James Smith, 42, and Patrick Donald Martin, 27, both of Kalamazoo County, Michigan, appeared in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan and were sentenced by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Hala Y. Jarbou individually and respectively for their convictions on federal narcotics violations.

     Judge Jarbou sentenced Smith to 240 months in federal prison, to be followed by a term of supervised release for his conviction of Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances Resulting in Death. Judge Jarbou sentenced Martin to 48 months in federal prison for his conviction of Use of a Communication Facility to Commit Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances Resulting in Death.

     According to charging documents filed with the District Court, beginning on April 12, 2023, and continuing into April 13, 2023, local law enforcement responded to numerous illicit drug poisonings in the Kalamazoo, Michigan, area, which resulted in multiple hospitalizations and at least seven fatalities.

Smith And Martin Thought They Were Selling Cocaine

     During the ensuing investigation, Investigators were able to trace the deadly substance back to Martin and, ultimately, to Smith, both of whom thought they were selling cocaine when in fact the were selling fentanyl-laced cocaine.

     In handing down the sentences last Thursday, Judge Jarbou noted that drug dealing is inherently dangerous regardless of what the dealer thinks he is selling, especially today when most drugs “have fentanyl in it–It’s just that prevalent.” In sentencing Smith, Judge Jarbou found it “inexplicable” that Smith continued to sell drugs months after he became aware of the mass poisoning in April 2023 that was caused, at least in part, by his drug dealing. “That tells me the consequences of your actions did not deter you,” said Judge Jarbou before imposing the 20-year sentence on Smith.