Fentanyl Dealer Sentenced To 10 Years In Federal Prison

WILMINGTON, Del. – David C. Weiss, U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware, announced that Christopher Hurd, 33, of Harrington, was sentenced today by the U.S. District Court Chief Judge Leonard P. Stark to 10 years in prison for his role in conspiracy to distribute furanyl fentanyl.

Between August 30, 2017 and November 9, 2017, Hurd and his co-conspirator ordered furanyl fentanyl, a powerful fentanyl analog, from China on the Dark Web. They then packaged the fentanyl into baggies which they branded with a “predator” stamp and sold the drug on the streets of Harrington, Delaware.  On November 7, 2017, a woman ingested the furanyl fentanyl contained in one of those “predator” branded bags, overdosed on the drug, and died.  When police executed a search warrant at Hurd’s residence, they found additional furanyl fentanyl. 

Fentanyl’s high potency and unpredictable effects continue to lead to victim overdoses and deaths in record numbers in this country.  A very small amount of fentanyl can be lethal. In sentencing Hurd, Chief Judge Stark spoke about the recklessness with which Hurd acted and pointed out that his drug dealing had a devastating consequence.

“We at the Department of Justice seek to reduce the supply of illegal drugs in the United States by aggressively investigating and prosecuting drug traffickers who distribute fentanyl knowing of its deadly effects,” said U.S. Attorney Weiss.  “We are grateful that our state and federal law enforcement partners acted swiftly in this instance to remove this harmful drug from our community and to bring some small measure of justice to the victim’s family.”   

“Hurd was convicted of distributing furanyl fentanyl, a dangerous and incredibly powerful synthetic opioid, that lead to the fatal overdose of a woman in this case,” said Jonathan A. Wilson, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Philadelphia Field Division.  “For the drug traffickers that seek to obtain and distribute these dangerous drugs, the penalties are severe.” 

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Dover Police Department.  It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Maureen McCartney. 

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the District of Delaware or on PACER by searching for Case No.18-29.