Phoenix man sentenced 10 years for selling fentanyl, leading to a woman’s death

PHOENIX, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - A payment of $6,103 in restitution is going to the family of a young mother who died intaking fake pills containing fentanyl which she bought from a Phoenix man.

In Dec. 2021, the United States District Judge Susan M. Brnovich sentenced Reyes Luis Holguin, 29, to 10 years in prison, five years of supervised release thereafter and to pay the $6,103.

Holguin had pleaded guilty to Distribution of Fentanyl for dealing pills that led to the woman's death.

The woman and Holguin communicated via an online messaging app.

According to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the woman asked for three "blues" which is a familiar street name used on fake prescription oxycodone pills containing fentanyl.

After consuming the pills, the woman overdosed, died and was found the next morning by her mother.

Holguin sold 67 pills to law enforcement with negotiations set for him to sell 100 more.

When the DEA and Phoenix Police Department arrested Holguin, he was possessing a firearm, fake pills and $2,285 in cash.

“These dangerous pills are flooding Arizona communities, and studies show that 40% contain a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl,” said U.S. Attorney Gary Restaino. “This sentence should serve as a  warning message to sellers, and as a reminder of the need for compassion and creative solutions in protecting Arizonans from these pills. We are grateful to our partners at DEA and Phoenix PD for their vigilance in fentanyl investigations and prosecutions.”

The DEA and the Phoenix Police Department led the investigation in this case.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, operated the prosecution.