By Forum Staff
A Jamaica man has been indicted on charges of conspiring to distribute and distributing more than 40 grams of the powerful narcotic fentanyl, with his product linked to two recent fatal overdoses and one near-fatal overdose, federal authorities announced on Tuesday.
David Wickham, 35, also known as “Wick” and “Dogg,” was arrested early Tuesday morning. According to Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Richard Donoghue, during the execution of Wickham’s arrest and the search of his residence and vehicle, pursuant to a search warrant, agents recovered a firearm from under his bed, as well as suspected narcotics and drug paraphernalia, including a scale, baggies and hypodermic needles.
According to charging papers, between August and December 2017, Wickham allegedly sold almost 100 grams of fentanyl to an undercover officer. On several occasions, Wickham represented the narcotics to be heroin, when he was actually selling fentanyl.
Additionally, based on phone records and a witness’ statements, Wickham allegedly dealt a batch of fentanyl that caused two fatal overdoses and one near-fatal overdose—the third victim was revived with narcan.
“As alleged in court filings, David Wickham sold fentanyl, a powerful opioid with potentially lethal consequences, which he represented to buyers on numerous occasions to be heroin,” Donoghue said. “This office will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to prosecute those who contribute to the opioid epidemic plaguing the communities in our district, and to save lives by reducing the availability of the deadly drug.”
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Justice, drug overdoses have become the leading cause of death for Americans under the age of 50. The increase in overdose deaths has been driven in large part by fentanyl—described as 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine. In New York, from 2014 to 2015, fentanyl overdose deaths rose 135 percent, while heroin overdose deaths rose 28 percent. According to the CDC’s latest report analyzing overdose deaths nationally, in 2016 synthetic opioid deaths—which includes fentanyl—more than doubled to 19,413 in 2016, from 9,580 in 2015.
“Fentanyl is a killer, and drug pushers have been taking advantage of selling this highly addictive drug, preying on the vulnerabilities of people,” said NY Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent-in-Charge Angel Melendez.
If convicted, Wickham faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years’ in federal prison and a maximum of 40 years.
