CINCINNATI — The convicted drug dealer who started a terrifying surge of overdoses three summers ago by putting a deadly new cocktail on Cincinnati streets is going to federal prison for 25 years.
Phillip Watkins, 33, and his co-defendant, Jeanetta Crawford, were the first people in the country to face federal charges for trafficking carfentanil, an animal tranquilizer 10,000 times stronger than morphine.
Officials blamed the heroin laced with carfentanil that Watkins sold for a dramatic increase in overdoses during the summer of 2016. It arrived like a ghost in the night, but its impact was as clear as day.
“Basically, within 90 minutes, we had almost 16 reported overdoses,” said Cincinnati police Capt. Aaron Jones.
By July 15, Hamilton County Coroner Dr. Lakshmi Sammarco was so concerned she issued a public health warning.
“The next time you use could be the last time anyone sees you,” Sammarco warned.
There was another surge in overdoses on Aug. 23, leading to this:
On Sept. 6, 2016, first responders reported 300 overdoses had occurred within a three-week period.
Two weeks later, a federal grand jury indicted Watkins and Crawford for trafficking carfentanil.
In 2017, Watkins pleaded guilty to selling the carfentanil that nearly killed a woman, then trying to hire someone to kill her after she became the key witness against him. Since then, Watkins has tried unsuccessfully to get the plea deal thrown out, claiming he was coerced into a confession after spending nine months in solitary confinement.
On Monday, Watkins' mother, stepfather and cousin asked U.S. District Court Judge Susan Dlott for leniency.
Watkins told the judge, "I want to apologize to the court and my family and to the community. I am ashamed."
But Watkins claimed he hadn't sold drugs that caused overdoses or threatened to kill anyone, insisting the case against him was built on "speculation and lies" and that he was innocent.
In response, Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Oakley told the judge that Watkins is still "not accepting responsibility."
"This is a lenient sentence", Oakley said. "His sentence should be life."
Dlott’s sentence included five years of supervised release.
