DENVER — A Fort Collins man has been sentenced to more than a decade in federal prison for selling pills laced with fentanyl that killed a man.
According to a plea agreement, Ernesto Ibarra Jr., 45, sold pills that appeared to be prescription oxycodone to a man who was found dead in a Fort Collins home on Sept. 26, 2017. Police found a syringe, a spoon with liquid and what appeared to be a partially dissolved blue pill, as well as another fully intact pill. The pill was round, blue and had an “M” and “30” imprinted on it, which resembles a prescription oxycodone pill.
Lab results showed the only controlled substance in both of the pills was fentanyl, and the Office of the Larimer County Coroner/Medical Examiner determined the man died of acute fentanyl toxicity.
Through the investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Fort Collins Police Services determined Ibarra used Facebook to sell pills several times to the man who died in the days leading up to his death. Their investigation also determined Ibarra sold the pills that caused the man’s death the day before he was found dead.
In his plea agreement, Ibarra also admitted to selling pills to a second man who also died from fentanyl poisoning, though evidence was not sufficient to prove Ibarra sold the fentanyl that killed the second man.
Ibarra was sentenced on Feb. 18 to 175 months, or about 14 years and six months, in federal prison. After his prison time, he’ll have three years on supervised release.