A Philadelphia man has been handed a 7 to 14-year state prison sentence for supplying fentanyl pills across Bucks County, officials say. The sentencing took place yesterday, confirmed through a Bucks County governmental announcement. Brian Franklin, 25, entered a guilty plea to one charge of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance.
The sentence was handed down by Common Pleas Judge Charissa J. Liller, which includes a peculiar mandate to quickly secure full-time employment. Franklin is required to find a job "within 60 days of his release," aiming to surely re-integrate him into society, according to a Bucks County annoucement. Additionally, the seven-year minimum ensures a substantial period behind bars for the defendant, who was arrested in December 2023 following an intense investigation that spotlighted Franklin as a key supplier in the local drug trade.
The probe that led to Franklin's arrest was a collaborative effort of the Bucks County Detectives Drug Strike Force alongside the Middletown Township Police Department. Their investigations started in May 2021 and eventually identified Franklin as the source network's linchpin, peddling fentanyl pills that deceptively appeared as oxycodone to other dealers throughout the county.
