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Press Release
Press Release
WASHINGTON – Jaron Johnson, 23, of Washington D.C., was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 60 months in federal prison in connection with selling a fatal dose of fentanyl in May 2022 to an American soldier. The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., DEA Acting Special Agent in Charge Ibrar A. Mian of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Washington Division, and Special Agent in Charge Jake Cameron of the Washington Field Office, Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division.
Johnson pleaded guilty on August 17, 2024, to unlawful distribution of fentanyl. In addition to the five-year prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Christopher R. Cooper ordered Johnson to serve three years of supervised release.
According to court documents, Johnson distributed what he knew to contain fentanyl to a U.S. Army private. Approximately 14 hours after the sale, the soldier died. The cause of death was determined to be a mixture of fentanyl, dextromethorphan (cough medicine), and chlorpheniramine (allergy medicine), with an enlarged heart as a contributing factor. However, toxicology results revealed standard doses of dextromethorphan and chlorpheniramine, which are not typically fatal.
When the soldier’s phone was searched, investigators found a text message conversation between the soldier and a phone number which was linked to Johnson. The messages show that the soldier discussed meeting with Johnson to purchase “blues” and “30s,” which is often slang for pills containing fentanyl. On May 23, 2022, Johnson sent a message to the soldier which included a picture of a hand holding a bag of light blue pills. The soldier died on May 26, 2022.
On May 25, 2023, Johnson was arrested at an airport in Baltimore upon his return from California. A search of his checked luggage revealed he had been carrying approximately 33 pounds of suspected marijuana.
This case was investigated by the DEA’s Washington Division and Army’s Criminal Investigation Division. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Solomon Eppel of the Violence Reduction and Traffic Offenses Section (VRTO), with valuable assistance provided by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alicia Long and Will Hart, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
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USADC.Media@usdoj.gov