An El Paso man has been handed a 15-year federal prison term for his role in distributing fentanyl that led to a fatal overdose, the U.S. Attorney's Office confirmed on Tuesday. Michael Joseph Cuccaro, aged 22, sold what were counterfeit M-30 oxycodone pills that actually contained the synthetic opioid fentanyl, a substance exponentially more potent than heroin, to an individual on December 11, 2022, who later died from poisoning by the drug, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Cuccaro was indicted by a federal grand jury on September 6, 2023, the indictment encompassed two counts: conspiracy to possess a controlled substance with intent to distribute and distribution of a controlled substance resulting in death or serious bodily injury, he was arrested afterward when a bench warrant was issued, this sequence of events culminated in a guilty plea entered by Cuccaro on April 24, 2024, for the charge of distribution of a controlled substance causing death. U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas was responsible for releasing this information to the public.
The case was the subject of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Phillip Countryman led the prosecution's efforts in this specific instance, resulting in Cuccaro's conviction and subsequent sentencing.
