An Austin man has been slapped with a hefty 60-year prison sentence for his role in the fentanyl trade by a Hays County jury. Tony Robert Barrera III, aged 44, was convicted on Thursday of possession of the potent synthetic opioid with intent to distribute and was also hit with a 50-year sentence for unlawful possession of firearms as a felon, as reported by CBS Austin.
The long arm of the law caught up to the repeat offender after an investigation by the San Marcos and Buda police departments. Barrera had been labeling himself as untouchable, but the jury's verdict has swiftly decided to definitively put an end to his criminal endeavors. In a determined stance against the fentanyl crisis, Hays County District Attorney Kelly Higgins said, "When I came to office, I promised serious consequences in fentanyl cases. It seems that Hays County juries agree that fentanyl will not be tolerated in our county," as per CBS Austin.
Texas, which has not been spared by this scourge, recorded 1,612 fentanyl-related deaths in 2021 alone. According to figures reported by the San Antonio Express News, national fatalities attributed to the drug reached a staggering 73,654 in 2022, as federal officials aim to harshly crack down to even more seriously combat this epidemic.
