Delco Man Gets Prison For Selling Deadly Fentanyl-Laced Heroin

MEDIA, PA — A Delaware County man who was convicted of selling a fatal dose of fentanyl-laced heroin will spend at least 40 months in prison for the death, authorities said.

District Attorney Katayoun M. Copeland announced that Raheem Harper has been sentenced 40 to 80 months’ incarceration after pleading guilty to drug delivery resulting in death and four counts of delivery of a controlled substance.

Harper, 28, of Colwyn Borough, was charged with drug delivery resulting in death, counts of delivery of a controlled substance, and related offenses on June 11, 2018, following the conclusion of an investigation by Detective Corporal Steven Byrne of the Chester Police Department and Detective Timothy Deery of the Delaware County Criminal Investigation Division (CID).

At about noon on April 21, 2017, Chester Police and Crozer Chester Medical Center medics responded to a residence on the 1500 block of Edgmont Avenue in Chester where a 28-year-old male was found and pronounced deceased at the scene.

A used hypodermic needle and the remains of a used bag of suspected heroin were located on the floor next to the decedent along with five small packets containing suspected heroin stamped "Hurricane” in the victim’s pants pocket.

The suspected controlled substances were laboratory tested and identified as a mixture of fentanyl and heroin.

A post-mortem examination by the medical examiner revealed the cause of death was multiple drug intoxication, specifically involving fentanyl and heroin.

Investigation by law enforcement along with a forensic examination of the victim’s cellphone found at the scene, established that Harper, aka “Mark,” was the drug dealer who delivered the deadly fentanyl-laced-heroin that resulted in the victim’s death.

Records show Harper delivered heroin to the victim on April 6, April 9, April 11, and finally on April 19, 2017, ultimately leading to the victim’s death.

Further investigation revealed that during one of these deliveries, the victim traded Harper a PlayStation 4 for a few bags of heroin.