Lake Elsinore Drug Dealer Linked To Idaho Man's Death

LAKE ELSINORE, CA — A Lake Elsinore man was sentenced last week to 13 years in federal prison for the death of an Idaho man.

The sentencing of Brian Arthur Goodale, 56, was announced Wednesday, March 26, by Acting U.S. Attorney Justin D. Whatcott.

U.S. District Judge Amanda K. Brailsford imposed the sentence and also ordered Goodale to pay restitution to the victim's family to cover funeral expenses. Goodale will also serve three years of supervised release following his prison term.

According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Idaho, the victim, who was not named by authorities, was found dead on March 16, 2023, in Boise after local law enforcement conducted a welfare check on him. Loved ones told police that the victim had not responded to calls or knocks on his door.

When law enforcement found the victim, he was already dead. A small drug tube was clutched in his hand, and a small piece of tin foil was next to him, according to the news release.

A subsequent toxicology report and autopsy showed that the victim had a lethal dose of fentanyl in his system at the time of death, prosecutors said.

Law enforcement looked for a link to the fentanyl, and they found it in Goodale, who was allegedly shipping the drug to the victim through a U.S. Post Office in Chula Vista, California, to Boise, Idaho.

Facebook messages between the victim and Goodale allegedly showed that the Lake Elsinore man was setting his fentanyl pricing and knew how dangerous the drug was.

Prosecutors allege that in one message, Goodale told the victim, "shoot the $100 and I’ll send it now ... 3pk ... but I’m gonna need the $200 on Wed. if your still alive!!"

On Feb. 13, 2024, Goodale was indicted on one count of distribution of fentanyl resulting in serious injury and death.

According to prosecutors, Goodale has an extensive criminal history that includes 29 prior convictions in California, 20 of which are controlled substance offenses. At the time he sold the lethal fentanyl to the Idaho victim, Goodale was on felony probation in Riverside County for selling fentanyl, prosecutors said.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50-100 times stronger than morphine. While prescription fentanyl can be diverted for misuse with fatal consequences, street fentanyl can be deadlier because there is no way to know how potent the illicit substance actually is.

Illicit fentanyl is relatively inexpensive to produce, and quality control is usually not a high concern, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

"... most cases of fentanyl-related overdoses in the U.S. are linked to Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations, who are the world’s leading producers of illicit fentanyl," according to the news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office. "These Drug Trafficking Organizations often collaborate with transnational cartels to smuggle illicit fentanyl into the U.S."