Man gets 24 years for selling fentanyl in fatal overdose

A Florida man has been sentenced to 24 years and four months in prison for selling fentanyl that caused a fatal overdose.

Court records show that 54-year-old Gregory Apicella was sentenced this week in Fort Myers federal court. He pleaded guilty in February to distributing fentanyl and to causing an overdose death. He had faced a possible life sentence.

Prosecutors say Apicella sold fentanyl, an opioid pain medication, in January 2018 to a 21-year-old man who later died from an overdose. The Lee County Sheriff's Office conducted a controlled purchase of methamphetamine and fentanyl from Apicella the next day. Detectives say they recovered about nine grams of fentanyl from the home while executing a search warrant.