Man gets prison for selling fentanyl as heroin alternative

Gavel and scales. (Getty)
Gavel and scales. (Getty)

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Federal prosecutors say a Tennessee man has been sentenced to nearly 11 years in prison for selling fentanyl to someone who asked for heroin.

The U.S. attorney's office in Memphis said Tuesday that 31-year-old Zacharia Mitchell sold an ounce (28 grams) of a white, powdery substance to a person in a supermarket parking lot in January 2018.

Prosecutors say undercover Memphis police officers saw the transaction. A laboratory test showed it was fentanyl, a synthetic opioid many times stronger than heroin.

Authorities also found a gun in Mitchell's vehicle. He was sentenced Monday for weapons violations and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl. Mitchell also has prior domestic violence convictions.

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