LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Officials say a Las Vegas man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for distributing fentanyl that caused the death of another person.
According to the indictment and allegations made at the initial court appearance, Gabriel Ulloa, 29, distributed fentanyl to the 27-year-old victim, who believed he was buying Oxycodone pills from Ulloa. The victim died as a result of ingesting the drugs.
Classified as a Schedule II controlled substance, fentanyl is a synthetic opioid drug that is approximately 80-100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin. A few milligrams of fentanyl, which is equivalent to a few grains of table salt, may be deadly.
Ulloa is charged with one count of distribution of a controlled substance. Ulloa made his initial appearance on June 25, 2021, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Brenda Weksler, who scheduled a jury trial for August 23, 2021. If convicted, Ulloa faces a statutory minimum penalty of 20 years imprisonment and a statutory maximum penalty of life imprisonment and a $10,000,000 fine.
An indictment merely alleges that a crime has been committed. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Acting U.S. Attorney Christopher Chiou for the District of Nevada, Special Agent in Charge Francisco Burrola for Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and Assistant Special Agent in Charge Daniel Neill for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) made the announcement.
This case was investigated by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Major Violators Narcotics Crimes Bureau, Overdose Response Team, HSI, DEA, and the Henderson Police Department.
This case was part of Southern Nevada’s High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program that enhances and coordinates drug control efforts among local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. The program provides agencies with coordination, equipment, technology, and additional resources to combat drug trafficking and its harmful consequences in critical regions of the United States.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Sokolich is prosecuting the case.
