Dealer Pleads Guilty In NJ Man's Drug-Induced Death: Prosecutor

VINELAND, NJ — A Vineland man pleaded guilty to selling an 18-year-old drugs containing fentanyl before the younger man's death in March 2020, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office said.

Freddie W. Smith, 44, admitted to one count of first-degree strict liability for causing a drug-induced death in front of an Atlantic County Superior Court judge. Prosecutors expect him to be sentenced to 12 years in New Jersey State Prison, with a mandatory sentence of 10 years and 2 months before he is eligible for parole.

The deceased went to a Wawa in Vineland at some point between March 11 and March 12, 2020 and bought drugs containing fentanyl according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office. The victim, who has not been identified, was found dead in the early morning hours of March 12 on a couch in his family home, officials said.

Officials have not identified the man who died.

"Toxicology testing of the decedent’s blood determined he died from fentanyl and cocaine, and a search warrant was later executed on Smith’s home where law enforcement recovered drug packaging paraphernalia, fentanyl, and cocaine," the prosecutor's office said.

Sentencing is scheduled for January 9, 2023 for Smith, according to the ACPO.