32-year-old Brian Landon Brown of Lubbock pleaded guilty today (Wednesday) before US Magistrate Judge D. Gordon Bryant Jr. to a federal offense stemming from his role in a fentanyl distribution conspiracy.

Brown faces a penalty of up to 20 years in federal prison and a $1 million fine. Judge Bryant recommended that the district court accept Brown's guilty plea.

Brown had met with a 26-year-old male on October 6th, 2016 and sold Furanyl Fentanyl to that individual. About 15 hours later, that individual was pronounced dead. The Lubbock County Medical Examiner did an autopsy and determined that the cause of death was drug toxicity from Furanyl Fentanyl.

Brown was arrested in Lubbock on October 17th, 2016 on an unrelated arrest warrant. He admitted that he typically sold several grams of Furanyl Fentanyl per day. Brown possessed a vial of .291 net grams of Furanyl Fentanyl at the time of his arrest.

Fentanyl is a potent synthetic opioid analgesic that is about 30 to 40 times stronger than heroin and up to 100 times more powerful than morphine. Fentanyl produces such pharmacological effects as alteration in mood, euphoria, drowsiness, respiratory depression, suppression of cough reflex, constriction of pupils, and impaired gastrointestinal mobility.

The case is being investigated by the Lubbock Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

 

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