Two Northern Virginia men sentenced for fentanyl related offenses

RICHMOND, VA – Two men charged with fentanyl trafficking offenses have been sentenced to a combined 19 years after a joint effort by the Office of the Attorney General and the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Kibruysfa Degefa has been sentenced to 168 months in prison after a federal jury found him guilty of conspiracy to distribute, possession, and distribution of fentanyl and Eutylone, as well as being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a firearm during and in furtherance of drug trafficking. He conspired with others to distribute pressed pills that resembled prescription medications but that actually contained fentanyl. Pills containing fentanyl distributed by Mr. Degefa contributed to the overdose death of a 20 year old female in Arlington, Virginia in December of 2020.

Trevor Randolph has been sentenced to 60 months after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute pressed pills containing fentanyl after selling a quantity of pills to an undercover detective. At the time of his arrest, Mr. Randolph had over 1,000 pressed pills containing fentanyl in his vehicle destined for distribution.

Fentanyl is a powerful, synthetic, pain-relieving opioid usually used to treat cancer patients that can be 50 to 100 percent more powerful than morphine. Fentanyl has a heroin-like effect on users, and is often mixed with cocaine and/or heroin to make a powerful drug concoction. In 2021, around 2,000 Virginians died from the effects of fentanyl and other drugs, with fentanyl overdoses being the most common. Fatal overdoses linked to fentanyl have increased exponentially since the start of the pandemic, and according to recent data, drug fatalities outnumbered firearm and traffic deaths combined in 2020 and 2021.

Attorney General Miyares is committed to cracking down on crime and helping Virginians fight back against the opioid epidemic. The sentences imposed today will help make Virginia communities safer.