Hawaiian Gardens man gets 25 years for selling fentanyl that caused deadly overdose in 2020, feds say
Authorities say Gregory Hevener, 47, used coded language on the social platform OfferUp to advertise and sell heroin and other drugs.
A Hawaiian Gardens man was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for causing the fatal overdose of another man in 2020, the Department of Justice announced Monday.
Federal authorities say Gregory Hevener, 47, used coded language on the social platform OfferUp to advertise and sell heroin and other drugs.
When an 18-year-old man found one of Hevener’s ads for black tar roofing materials — code for black tar heroin — out of Long Beach in November 2020, the two agreed to meet, federal authorities said.
But rather than selling the 18-year-old heroin, Hevener gave him a black, tar-like substance containing fentanyl and the pain-relief medication Tramadol, authorities said.
After taking the drugs at home, the 18-year-old died of an overdose, according to the DOJ.
As part of their investigation, law enforcement agents searched Hevener’s trash cans outside his home on two occasions in 2021, federal authorities said. There, they found and collected plastic bags, burnt pieces of tin foil containing fentanyl and tramadol residue, they added.
A third search by agents also led to the seizure of roughly 245 grams of black tar heroin, a digital scale, more burnt tin foil and a plastic bag containing just over a gram of fentanyl, according to the DOJ.
Hevener was taken into federal custody in connection to the deadly overdose in February 2022, federal authorities said.
He was found guilty in June of one count of distribution of fentanyl resulting in death and one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin following a seven-day trial, according to federal authorities.
“While no amount of prison time will restore what was lost to the victim’s family, we hope today’s sentence will bring some closure to the victim’s loved ones and protect our community from further harm,” United States Attorney Martin Estrada said in a statement.
Hevener was also ordered to pay back $45,100 in restitution.
“Vindicating victims is core to my office’s work," Estrada said. "We will continue to lead the nation in holding accountable those who traffic in powerful synthetic drugs, especially when they cause death or bodily harm.”
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