Fentanyl-Laced Pills Led To Fatal Overdose: Feds

ROSWELL, GA — An accused Atlanta drug dealer has been arraigned on federal charges of distributing fentanyl-laced pills prosecutors say was the cause of a fatal overdose reported in Roswell.

Edward Culton was arraigned on charges of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, seven counts of aiding and abetting the distribution of fentanyl and one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, which resulted in the death of an individual, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia said.

Culton, 25, who was arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Janet F. King, was indicted Aug. 22 by a federal grand jury on the charges.

“Culton’s alleged fentanyl distribution led to two drug overdoses, resulting in the death of one of the individuals,” said U.S. Attorney BJay Pak. “The defendant allegedly disguised the dangerous pills to look like legitimate Roxicodone tablets, but they were actually laced with fentanyl - a more potent and potentially lethal substance.”

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According to the feds, Colton supplied Hubert Nathans, a Roswell drug dealer, with hundreds of fake Roxicodone pills from September 2017 to February of this year. The pills were blue and imprinted with the code M30. The federal government notes the pills resembled legitimate 30 mg Roxicodone tablets, but actually contained fentanyl.

Nathans sold several pills to a man who died from a drug overdose on Oct. 3, 2017. On Jan. 8, he also sold one pill to a woman who overdose after ingesting a portion of the drug. In January and February, undercover Roswell officers bought pills from Nathans on multiple occasions. Following up on that, Drug Enforcement Administration agents executed a search warrant on Feb. 15 at Culton's Buckhead apartment and seized more than 900 of the fentanyl-laced pills, prosecutors said.

Nathans, 29, pleaded guilty on Aug. 13 to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, the use of which resulted in the death of one individual and serious injury to another. This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Roswell Police Department while Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Hartigan is prosecuting the case.

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