Following fentanyl dealer's sentencing, DEA, US Attorney announces new task force

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Utah and the Drug Enforcement Administration on Friday announced the formation of a new task force on the heels of the federal sentencing of a dark web drug dealer.

Las Vegas resident Colin Andrew Shapard, 23, was sentenced to the minimum mandatory 20 years for distributing an illicit substance that caused bodily harm after he mailed fentanyl to a Park City 18-year-old, who othen overdosed and nearly died.

U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins and Acting Special Agent in Charge Dustin Gillespie of the DEA's Rocky Mountain Field Division stated that the task force aims to raise awareness and increase the number of prosecutable cases through overdose crime scene training.

Utah has experienced a rise in overdose incidents in recent years, with fentanyl being the primary catalyst. According to the Utah Department of Health and Human Services, 603 Utahns died from drug overdoses in 2021, with 67% related to opioids and 29% related to fentanyl.

"Fentanyl is the deadliest drug threat the United States has ever faced, and Utah is no exception," said Higgins. "Through the Utah Drug Overdose Task Force, I am confident we can make a difference."

The task force consists of sworn law enforcement members from agencies across the Salt Lake Valley, led and coordinated by the DEA's Rocky Mountain Field Division and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Utah. Currently, the U.S. Attorney's Office has 10 cases either indicted or under investigation as a result of the task force.

The U.S. Attorney's Office and the DEA have also created a checklist to serve as a guide for first responders arriving at overdose crime scenes.