3-31-2023 10:06pm

A jury has found that a man from Deer Park sold pills containing fentanyl to an undercover police officer

Samantha Hespos Editor

Deer Park, NY

At an LIRR train station, a man from Long Island was found guilty by a jury consisting of his peers for vending pills mixed with fentanyl.

On March 30th, the Suffolk County DA stated that Anthony Alexander, who is 57 years old and from Deer Park, was convicted of selling pills with opioids in them but disguising them as oxycodone.

In January 2022, Alexander allegedly sold oxycodone pills to an undercover investigator on two occasions. However, upon testing the purchased pills, it was discovered that they actually contained fentanyl instead of oxycodone.

On January 20, 2022, Alexander was taken into custody by the police at Babylon train station, where they discovered metal knuckles and various pills such as oxycodone, alprazolam (otherwise known as Xanax), and suboxone films (used for treating narcotic addiction) in his possession.

The number of deaths caused by opioids has drastically increased throughout the United States in the past few years. The New York Department of Health reported that in 2019, there were more than 2,900 fatalities resulting from opioid overdoses in New York State.

As of 2017, the Fiscal Policy Institute's research indicates that Suffolk County had the second-highest number of opioid-related fatalities per 100,000 individuals in the entire state.

Following a trial by jury, Alexander was found guilty of three counts of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, two counts of third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance, and two counts of fifth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

On May 3, Wednesday, he will face sentencing and could receive a prison sentence of a maximum of 30 years.