NEW YORK – A New York drug dealer who was responsible for the overdose deaths of two men in 2011 by selling them oxymorphone was sentenced today to 10 years in prison, federal officials said.
Craig Oleksowicz, 38, of Pearl River, N.Y., used worker’s compensation benefits to pay for prescriptions of oxymorphone, codeine, methadone, and other medications.
Oyxmorphone is a powerful painkiller with a high potential for addiction and abuse, and its improper use may lead to fatality, according to authorities.
The abuse of Oxymorphone is a growing threat nationwide, according to the National Drug Intelligence Center.
In July 2011 and in October 2011, Oleksowicz supplied oxymorphone pills that caused the overdose death of two young men, aged 20 and 21, respectively, both residents of Pearl River.
In the months following those deaths, officials said Oleksowicz continued his illegal distribution of pills, selling codeine, methadone, and Valium pills for profit on at least four separate occasions in February 2012.
“The illegal distribution of highly-addictive and dangerous prescription pills is the fastest-growing drug problem in the country,” U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara stated. “Painkillers that Craig Oleksowicz illegally dealt led to the overdose death of two young men. Today’s sentence of ten years in prison for Oleksowicz’s crimes shows how seriously this Office takes this public health epidemic.”
According to the Information, to which OLEKSOWICZ pled guilty, statements made during the plea and sentencing proceedings or associated court filings: