Montgomery man convicted of selling fentanyl pills that led to man’s death

A federal jury has convicted a Montgomery man of distributing a controlled substance resulting in death and possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute it.

The conviction was announced today against 37-year-old Lawrence Coley III, according to U.S. Attorney Jonathan Ross.

According to court records and evidence presented during trial, on August 26, 2022, law enforcement received a report of an unresponsive person inside a vehicle at a Montgomery home. When officers arrived, they found a truck in the driveway with the engine running and the doors locked. Inside they found a lifeless man with no visible signs of trauma or injury. A medical examiner concluded that the man died due to the toxic effects of fentanyl.

The jury heard expert testimony stating that the quantity of fentanyl found in the victim’s blood was four to five times the lethal dose, Ross said.

An investigation into how the man got the fentanyl revealed that, for more than a year, Coley had been supplying him, Ross said. These transactions occurred almost daily and sometimes even multiple times a day, he said, including on the morning of the man’s death.

Investigators obtained a search warrant for Coley’s home and found 70 blue pills with “M” marked on one side, and “30” on the opposite side, according to court records. The pills’ color and markings made them look like pharmaceutical oxycodone tablets. However, lab tests determined the pills were counterfeit and contained fentanyl instead of oxycodone, Ross said.

When officers arrested Coley during a traffic stop, they found him in possession of five additional counterfeit fentanyl pills, according to records.

“Counterfeit pills containing fentanyl have become commonplace in Alabama and throughout the United States,” Ross said in a statement. “Everyone should assume that any pill that does not come from a doctor or pharmacy may contain a fatal dose of fentanyl or another deadly drug. My office is committed to holding accountable individuals who sell these dangerous pills.”

Coley faces a sentence of 20 years to life in federal prison. A sentencing hearing for Coley will be scheduled in the coming months.