Arizona man sentenced by Colorado judge for dealing fentanyl, causing a death

(The Center Square) - Jeremiah Robinson received nearly 20 years in prison from a Colorado judge, plus four years of supervised release after he pleaded guilty to distributing over 40 grams of fentanyl.

The 44-year-old from Phoenix, Arizona, got the 235-month sentence this week, according to the United States Attorney for the District of Colorado.

Robinson is a six-time convicted felon and a longtime drug dealer, a release said.

Before May 2022, he repeatedly sold drugs to a dealer named Efrain Velez, who came from Mesa County, Colorado, to buy drugs from Robinson.

Robinson made a bulk sale of fentanyl and methamphetamine to Velez and others -- Vanessa Vasquez and Anna Munday -- on May 7, 2022. The sale occurred in Phoenix.

As the three headed back to Mesa County, Colorado, law enforcement intercepted their vehicle and found the drugs, the release said.

Velez and Vasquez hid the drugs on their persons during the traffic stop and smuggled them into the Mesa County Detention Facility. While in jail, the two dealt drugs to inmates. Karlie Locke gave pills sold by Robinson to another inmate on May 20, 2022; that inmate died of fentanyl intoxication.

Just two milligrams of fentanyl is enough to kill the average American, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); 70% of DEA-tested pills contain at least that amount.

The four other conspirators in the case have been charged separately for fentanyl distribution, which caused a death. Vannessa Vasquez received a nine-year prison sentence, and Karlie Locke got 10 years in prison. The sentencing for Anna Munday and Efrain Velez is still pending.

“Jeremiah Robinson valued the profit from his drug trade over the lives of his customers,” Acting United States Attorney for the District of Colorado Matt Kirsch said. “Wherever you operate, if you sell drugs that make their way into Colorado, our office will find you and hold you accountable.”