Jaron Johnson, a 23-year-old resident of Washington D.C., has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for selling a lethal dose of fentanyl that resulted in the death of a U.S. Army private. The sentencing took place today at the U.S. District Court and was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr., DEA Acting Special Agent in Charge Ibrar A. Mian, and Special Agent in Charge Jake Cameron from the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division.
Johnson admitted guilt on August 17, 2024, to the charge of unlawful distribution of fentanyl. In addition to his prison sentence, he will serve three years under supervised release as ordered by U.S. District Court Judge Christopher R. Cooper.
Court documents revealed that Johnson sold fentanyl to an army private who died approximately 14 hours later from a combination of fentanyl, dextromethorphan (a cough suppressant), and chlorpheniramine (an allergy medication). The soldier also had an enlarged heart, which contributed to his death; however, toxicology reports indicated standard doses of dextromethorphan and chlorpheniramine were present.
Investigators discovered text messages on the soldier's phone linking him to Johnson through discussions about purchasing "blues" and "30s," slang terms for pills containing fentanyl. On May 23, 2022, Johnson sent a picture message showing light blue pills before the soldier's death on May 26.
Johnson was apprehended on May 25, 2023, at Baltimore airport upon returning from California with approximately 33 pounds of suspected marijuana found in his luggage.
The investigation was conducted by the DEA’s Washington Division alongside the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Solomon Eppel is prosecuting this case with support from Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alicia Long and Will Hart from the District of Columbia's U.S. Attorney’s Office.