A Portland man who in 2020 sold fentanyl-laced fake pills that killed a York County woman has been sentenced to more than 15 years in prison, federal prosecutors announced Tuesday.
Marcus Mello, 27, was sentenced on Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Portland for distributing fentanyl, using or carrying a dangerous weapon in a drug crime, and failing to appear before the court.
U.S. District Judge Jogn Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Mello to 181 months in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release.
In court records, prosecutors alleged that in May 2020, Mello sold 12 fake “percs” — a common term for Percocet or Oxycodone pills — to a 59-year-old York County woman.
The woman was found unconscious in her vehicle shortly after the sale, and was unable to be revived.
An autopsy identified her cause of death as toxicity due to the combined effects of multiple substances, including fentanyl, prosecutors said. A chemical analysis of pills found on her person revealed that they contained fentanyl, not oxycodone.
Text messages from the woman’s phone recovered by investigators showed that she had purchased the fake pills from Mello.
Additionally, investigators found the text messages of a witness who was with the victim when she purchased the pills and overdosed, and who texted Mello to inform him of the woman’s death and demanding to know what was in the pills.
Prosecutors claim that despite knowing someone had died after taking the fentanyl-laced “percs” that he sold them, Mello continued to sell the pills to other customers, including to a confidential federal informant.
When Mello was arrested in July 2020, investigators recovered over $6,300 cash, a loaded handgun, approximately 10 round white tablets and approximately 417 blue pills marked “M 30” divided into plastic baggies from his backpack.
Laboratory testing of pills revealed that they contained fentanyl and collectively weighed approximately 45.6 grams. The white tablets tested positive for Oxycodone and weighed approximately 3.8 grams.
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A review of Mello’s phone revealed conversations with his supplier, including dates, quantities and distribution details, prosecutors said.
While out on bail, Mello failed to appear for the start of his trial on Oct. 16, 2023. He informed the court by phone of his intention to plead guilty, but did not show up for court again the following day.
A warrant was issued for his arrest, and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents located and arrested Mello at a residence in South Portland on Nov. 3, 2023. He was found with several bags of white powder.
