A Phoenix man, Reyes Luis Holguin, is going to serve more time than the heads of the big pharma companies instrumental in bringing about the opioid crisis, but he is still getting off cheap.
Holguin, age 29, has agreed to pay a mere $6,103 in restitution to the family of a young mother whose life was taken by fentanyl she bought from Holguin in August 2019.
In December 2021, U.S. District Judge Susan M. Brnovich sentenced Holguin to 10 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Holguin previously pleaded guilty to Distribution of Fentanyl for selling the pills that led to the young woman’s death.
According to the Department of Justice, the victim communicated with Holguin via an online messaging application about the purchase of three “blues,” a common street term for fake prescription oxycodone pills that contain fentanyl. After consuming the pills, the victim overdosed and died. The victim was discovered the next morning by her mother.
Holguin also sold 67 fentanyl pills to law enforcement and negotiated the future sale of an additional 100. At the time of his arrest, Holguin had a loaded firearm, more fake pills, and $2,285 in cash.