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Alleged Bellevue dealer charged in a controlled substance homicide case
Alleged Bellevue dealer charged in a controlled substance homicide case
BELLEVUE, Wash. - A Bellevue drug dealer accused of selling his own friend counterfeit painkillers laced with fentanyl and resulting in his fatal overdose has been charged with controlled substance homicide.
It was an investigation 8 months in the making according to the Bellevue Police Department.
"These are very difficult cases to investigate," said Major Travess Forbush with Bellevue PD.
This summer, a 26-year-old Bellevue man became part of the grim statistics Washington state continues to see with fentanyl overdoses. But in this case, detectives say they were able to key information they usually don’t get in overdoses.
"I was shocked to see there were two pills, and one of them was a lethal dose. The victim's girlfriend woke up and her boyfriend was gone. He had died during the night," said Forbush.
RELATED: Seattle detectives seize over 400,000 fentanyl pills, several handguns
The girlfriend was able to lead detectives to the drug dealer she and her boyfriend bought counterfeit Percocets from. Unlike painkillers you’d get from a pharmacy, these pills are usually made by a cartel, and often fentanyl is used in their recipe because it helps dealers save money-despite being incredibly dangerous.
"We've had kids from the high school in the same circumstances where they buy a single pill and overdose and die," said Forbush.
Within the last two years, DEA agents say fentanyl seizures have increased over 100%. In that same timeframe, King County has had a 167% increase in fatal fentanyl overdoses. And in 2020, fentanyl overdoses were double what they were in 2019.
The dealers selling the drugs are almost never held responsible-making this case so significant.
"The suspect during the interview, admitted that he was aware that the victim had passed away, had overdosed and died, and he sold pills after the fact…his girlfriend had explained that he was upset, it bothered him that his actions resulted in the death of the victim, but he continued to do it, he continued to sell more pills and endanger more people," said Forbush.
RELATED: DEA: Mexican cartel smuggling illicit fentanyl is biggest threat to Washington state
The news of the suspect’s arrest was particularly significant to one local mother. "You can’t explain the pain, sometimes it feels worse than it did in the beginning," said Colleen Gregoire.
Gregoire lost her 20-year-old son Bobby five months ago, also in Bellevue, also to fentanyl poisoning. She said her son Bobby was introduced to Percocets after being prescribed them for getting his wisdom teeth taken out. She said the pain pills helped him with anxiety, so when he was feeling particularly anxious about a new job in October, "he got a pill off the street, and it was the wrong one. He took it that night and didn't wake up the next morning."
His death was so sudden, it’s difficult for loved ones to process.
"I've never opened his death certificate yet because I can't read it. But the toxicology report helped me and brought me a little bit of ease," said Gregoire.
She said the report showed Bobby had enough fentanyl in his system from the one pill to have killed seven people. She’s found comfort in learning that the dose was so strong that Bobby just fell asleep. She knows he never had a clue what he thought was a painkiller was in fact lethal.
"It’s a Russian roulette game. You do not know what’s in that pill and if it's going to take your life," said Gregoire.
She said she’s come to accept the very painful reality that Bellevue PD most likely will never be able to hold the dealer who sold Bobby that pill responsible. But knowing they were able to make an arrest in another local case has brought her a sense of relief.
And then there’s the bust that happened in Bellevue this past Tuesday: over 400,000 fentanyl-laced pills were seized.
"It gives me goosebumps and it’s the best day I’ve had since Bobby passed," said Gregoire.
In 2020, 18 juveniles died in King County from fentanyl overdoses. Bellevue PD said they’re committed to trying to crack down on dealers. Local DEA agents say when drug busts are up, fatal overdoses go down.
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