Man Sentenced For Selling Fentanyl To Man Who Died Of Overdose

A drug dealer from Mercer County has been sentenced to five years in state prison for selling fentanyl to a Bordentown man who subsequently died of an overdose on the drug, Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina announced.

Thao Nguyen, 27, of Hamilton Township, previously pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree strict liability for drug-induced death. He must serve 85 percent of his sentence before he becomes eligible for parole. He is also subject to five years of parole supervision upon release.

He has been detained in the Burlington County Jail since being arrested at his home on April 7 following the execution of a search warrant.

Nguyen admitted that he sold fentanyl to a 25-year-old Bordentown Township resident, who fatally overdosed at his residence on Nov. 24, 2016, Coffina said. An autopsy performed by Burlington County Medical Examiner Dr. Ian Hood determined that the death was caused by fentanyl toxicity.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “fentanyl is a synthetic opioid pain reliever, approved for treating severe pain, typically advanced cancer pain. It is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine.” Coffina pledged to continue holding dealers accountable for drug-induced deaths.

“Judge Cook said it best when he stated in open court that the defendant had made a decision to poison the community, and as a result of that decision, deprived the victim’s family of this person they all loved so much,” Coffina said. “Drug dealers who make similar decisions to poison the community with dangerous narcotics should take note of this case and expect that we will pursue drug-induced death homicide prosecutions whenever they recklessly cause the death of another through the drugs they are selling. And when the facts support it, we will not hesitate to seek the maximum sentence that the statute carries. The particular facts of this case led us to agree to a plea agreement with the five-year recommended sentence that the Court imposed, and we recognize that no prison term would seem like adequate justice to the family of this young man. Our thoughts are with them today and we hope they will find some comfort that this defendant will be unable to cause another family to be similarly heartbroken for the next five years.”

The case was prosecuted by Burlington County Assistant Prosecutor Jeremy Lackey. It was investigated by the Bordentown Township Police Department, with assistance from the BCPO Gang, Gun and Narcotics Task Force, the BCPO High-Tech Crimes Unit, the Hamilton Township Police Department Tactical Team and the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotics Task Force. The lead investigator was Bordentown Township Detective Josh Pavlov.

The attached image of Thao Nguyen was provided by the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office