23-Year-Old Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Distributing Fentanyl that Nearly Killed a Park City Resident

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A U.S. District Court Judge sentenced Colin Andrew Shapard, 23, of Las Vegas, Nevada to 240 months’ imprisonment today, followed by 36 months supervised release. In December 2023, Shapard pleaded guilty to distribution of a controlled substance that resulted in serious bodily injury. Fentanyl Shapard shipped via U.S. Mail, nearly killed a Park City, Utah resident after the man overdosed in 2022. See prior release here.

DEA

According to court documents, an investigation into Mr. Shapard began in November 2021 after a Park City resident reported to investigators that he obtained the drugs he possessed from Shapard. The resident also told investigators that in 2016, Shapard was the person who supplied a dangerous synthetic opioid to two 13-year-old middle-school students in Park City, who died as a result of ingesting the substance. Mr. Shapard was charged in juvenile court for the deaths of the two teens. Those offenses were processed through the juvenile court system as Shapard was a juvenile at the time.

In December 2021, subsequent to a search warrant, investigators identified and seized two shipments of counterfeit blue M30 pills laced with fentanyl that were mailed from Las Vegas to Utah. Simultaneously, DEA agents also learned that from December 2021 to May 2021, U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized four illicit drug shipments addressed to Shapard from the Netherlands. Additionally, in October 2020 customs enforcement agents in Germany seized two U.S. bound packages addressed to Shapard that contained illegal amphetamine-based drugs. Also in 2020, agents learned that Shapard received a FedEx package to a Midvale, Utah address that contained chemicals utilized in the manufacture of the drug GHB and or fentanyl. In 2022, undercover DEA agents purchased drugs from Shapard. Mr. Shapard told the undercover agent that the “blues” he sold were legitimate pharmaceuticals that he acquired from Canada. Shapard also claimed he tested every shipment of pills he received to confirm they did not contain fentanyl, when in fact they did.

In February 2022, the Park City resident was found on the floor unresponsive by his father. The father called 911 and began CPR. When emergency medical personnel arrived, they administered Naloxone, also referred to as Narcan, to the victim. Narcan is a drug that reverses the effects of opioids, including fentanyl, and is effective only on opioids. The victim was hospitalized and survived. The following day, DEA agents discovered that the victim overdosed on blue M30 fentanyl pills, which were purchased from Shapard. On March 8, 2022, Shapard was arrested. 

 “Community safety is a top priority for my office,” said U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah. “Mr. Shapard not only knowingly sold dangerous synthetic opioids, but he did so while deceiving his customers about the nature of the product. Fentanyl is 100 times stronger than morphine and 50 times stronger than heroin. Had it not been for the quick response from the victim’s family and the fast acting first responders who administered Narcan this would have been a more tragic outcome. My office will vigorously prosecute those who distribute this poison in the state of Utah, particularly those who repeat the same behavior.”

“There is no outcome that can fully heal the destruction caused by Mr. Shapard’s actions. Nevertheless, today’s sentencing is an important step toward justice for the victim and the many family members and friends affected by Mr. Shapard’s distribution of deadly fentanyl. The tireless work on this case by some of DEA’s finest investigators is proof that the DEA is unwavering in its commitment to pursuing those criminals who seek to distribute poison in our communities," said DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Dustin Gillespie, of the Salt Lake City District Office. 

DEA

“Mr. Shapard continued to profit off numerous individuals with his fentanyl-laced pills even after being charged for the deaths of two teenagers in 2016.  The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is committed to bringing all individuals to justice who use the U.S. Mail for their illegal activities.  This significant sentence sends a message to drug traffickers who have no regard for human life, and we thank our law enforcement partners for their excellent teamwork,” said Inspector in Charge Glen Henderson of the USPIS Phoenix Division.

The case was part of a joint investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Park City Police Department, and the Summit County Sheriff’s Office.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.