LOS ANGELES
A resident of downtown Los Angeles who was found guilty this week of federal drug trafficking charges for his involvement in importing a highly addictive opioid will be sentenced February, according to officials.
A federal judge found Christopher Bowen, 31, guilty of conspiracy to manufacture, possess with intent to distribute, and distribute four narcotics, specifically: acetylfentanyl; a-pyrrolidinovalerophenone, a so-called designer drug also known as “PVP” that is sometimes used in “bath salts”; ecstasy (MDMA); and alprazolam, which is sold under the brand name Xanax.
Bowen was also found guilty of possession of acetylfentanyl with intent to distribute.
Bowen will face a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for each of the two counts when he is sentenced in February, officials said.
The evidence during a two-day trial indicated Bowen and other members of the drug organization imported acetylfentanyl from China. It was then used to produce homemade pills designed to look like pharmaceutical products.
Bowen and his co-conspirators then distributed the pills in bulk across the nation.
The drug organization also obtained pill presses from China that were used illegally to make tablets in labs in a storage unit in Long Beach and a house in Baldwin Park.
During the investigation, DEA agents seized more than 9 kilograms of acetylfentanyl from the organization, according to officials.
The jury acquitted Bowen of possession with intent to distribute acetylfentanyl that was found in his apartment, officials said.
The leader of the organization – Gary Resnik, 32, of Long Beach – pleaded guilty in August and is also scheduled to be sentenced in February.