Jose Elias Camacho

A U.S. district judge on Monday sentenced a 34-year-old man from Maui to 12 years imprisonment for trafficking in fake oxycodone pills containing fentanyl that resulted in an overdose death.

According to United States Attorney Clare E. Connors, Jose Elias Camacho was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Susan Oki Mollway after Camacho pleaded guilty to possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute in June.

“Camacho knew the deadly risk of selling illegal narcotics, and in particular, he knew the heightened risk associated with the tragic death in this case,” Connors said in a statement.

Camacho admitted that in August 2020 that he sold five fake oxycodone pills containing fentanyl to a 24-year-old man who ingested the pills and overdosed. First responders revived the man and took him to the hospital for treatment.

However, the man reportedly discharged himself later that day and contacted Camacho to buy more pills. The attorney’s office said Camacho admitted knowing the man had just been hospitalized but sold him five more pills.

The following morning, the 24-year-old was found dead at his home. An autopsy indicated that he died of a polydrug overdose. A medical toxicologist later determined the man died as a result of the fentanyl Camacho sold him.

Camacho later admitted he continued to distribute pills after learning the 24-year-old had died.

On Oct. 2, 2020, the Maui Police Department set up an undercover deal to buy approximately 50 pills from Camacho, who was arrested as he left his house to conduct the sale.

Police searched him and his home and found approximately 400 light blue pills bearing the marking “M 30” and designed to resemble prescription oxycodone. The pills were tested by a lab and found to contain fentanyl.

“Even after learning of the victim’s death, Camacho continued to sell a large quantity of the lethal pills, endangering a great number of lives,” Connors said in a statement. “This sentence sends a powerful message that dealers whose products contain lethal doses of illegal narcotics, including fentanyl, will face severe consequences for contributing to the scourge of overdose deaths on our community.”

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mohammad Khatib and Michael Albanese prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the DEA and Maui Police Department.

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration’s 2024 National Drug Threat Assessment, fentanyl manufactured by Mexican drug cartels is the main driver behind the ongoing epidemic of drug poisoning deaths in the U.S.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that in 2022, national overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids other than methadone — primarily illicitly manufactured fentanyl — comprised 73,838 of the 107,941 overdose deaths.

The DEA’s 2024 National Drug Threat Assessment further notes that fake oxycodone pills present a particular risk because 7 in 10 fake pills contain a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl and because users are often unaware the pills contain fentanyl at all.