LOS ANGELES
A Hawaiian Gardens man was sentenced Monday to 25 years in federal prison for selling black tar heroin that, in fact, was fentanyl to an 18-year-old victim, officials stated.
The victim later ingested it and suffered a fatal overdose from the powerful synthetic opioid.
U.S. District Judge Mark C. Scarsi sentenced Gregory Hevener, 47. The judge ordered him to pay $45,100 in restitution.
Hevener has been in federal custody since February 2022.
At the conclusion of a seven-day trial, a jury on June 24 found Hevener guilty of one count of distribution of fentanyl resulting in death and one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin.
“While no amount of prison time will restore what was lost to the victim’s family, we hope today’s sentence will bring some closure to the victim’s loved ones and protect our community from further harm,” said U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada. “Vindicating victims is core to my office’s work. We will continue to lead the nation in holding accountable those who traffic in powerful synthetic drugs, especially when they cause death or bodily harm.”
In November 2020, the victim responded to an ad placed by Hevener on the website OfferUp, an online marketplace.
The listing advertised the sale of “BLACK TAR ROOFING MATERIALS!!” – coded language for black tar heroin – in Long Beach. OfferUp records revealed Hevener operated or had access to several accounts on the platform, in which he advertised and distributed drugs, including heroin and fentanyl.
Hevener and the victim met in Hawaiian Gardens and the victim purchased what he believed to be heroin from Hevener.
Instead, Hevener sold what was a black, tar-like substance containing fentanyl and tramadol, a pain-relief medication. The victim then drove home and took the drugs, suffering a fatal overdose.
In July and October 2021, law enforcement searched trash cans outside of Hevener’s residence in Hawaiian Gardens and seized discarded plastic bags and burnt pieces of tin foil containing fentanyl and tramadol residue.
Another search in December 2021 resulted in the seizure of a plastic bag containing approximately 245 grams of black tar heroin, a digital scale, burnt tin foil, and a plastic bag containing approximately 1.2 grams of fentanyl.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the El Monte Police Department investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kellye Ng and Maria Jhai of the Violent and Organized Crime Section and Kyle W. Kahan of the International Narcotics, Money Laundering, and Racketeering Section prosecuted this case.