Columbus man sentenced to 15 years for dealing drugs that resulted in fatal overdose

A Columbus man was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to providing a heroin mix that resulted in a woman's fatal overdose.

Richard R. Edwards, 29, of Columbus, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 180 months in prison for distributing heroin and fentanyl that resulted in the death or serious bodily injury of another.

According to court documents, Edwards admitted that his distribution of heroin and fentanyl led to a non-fatal overdose of a Columbus man in August 2016, and a fatal overdose of a Columbus woman in December 2016.
Edwards was arrested in March 2017 and has remained in custody since. He pleaded guilty to distribution of heroin in August 2017.
“Drug dealers like Edwards who traffic in fentanyl deal death,” U.S. Attorney Benjamin Glassman said. “I want them to know that they face lengthy terms in federal prison for that conduct. Trafficking in deadly opioids must stop.”
According to U.S. Attorney Glassman, this case represents the first federal prosecution of a “death-resulting” case in Columbus that stemmed from a joint investigation with the HOPE Task Force.
Established in 2016, the Heroin Overdose Prevention & Education Task Force was created as a restructuring of the Franklin County Drug Task Force. Experienced narcotics and homicide detectives working on the HOPE Task Force are treating opiate overdose scenes as crime scenes, investigating the source of the supply that caused the overdose.
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