A man from Wayne County was sentenced to prison this week in a 2022 overdose death.

Dylan Alexander Jones pleaded guilty in April to distribution of fentanyl and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

According to court documents, the person who overdosed purchased the counterfeit pills from Jones through Snapchat.

What You Need To Know

  • Dylan Alexander Jones pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a gun in a drug trafficking crime and one count of distribution of fentanyl

  • A person who purchased fentayl from Jones died from an overdose, according to court documents

  • Jones was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison and five years of supervised release on Thursday

On July 22, 2022, officials responded to a 911 call about an unresponsive man in Teachey, North Carolina, where a firefighter found the man dead. An autopsy showed the cause of death was an overdose on fentanyl, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of N.C.

The Dublin County Sheriff’s Office, the Carolina Beach Police department and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the source of the fentanyl by going through the victim’s phone, the release said.

Law enforcement discovered the victim purchased the pills by using a Snapchat account belonging to Jones, authorities said. The victim’s and Jones’ GPS locations showed they met hours before the overdose at a rest area in Warsaw.

Between September 2022 and November 2022, law enforcement made three controlled purchases from Jones, arresting him in the third purchase, according to the release. Jones was armed during the arrest, according to court documents, resulting in a search of his car where police seized fentanyl, a 9mm pistol loaded with 16 rounds of bullets and over $1,600.

Jones was sentenced on Thursday to more than 12 years in prison and five years of supervised release. The judge also ordered Jones to complete at least 50 hours of community service educating young people about the dangers of fentanyl during his supervised release.

“The sentencing of Dylan Jones is a pivotal step in our ongoing fight against the devastating impact of drug overdose deaths. We stand firm in our commitment to justice for the victims and their families. I want to commend our exceptional team for their relentless dedication and professionalism in building this challenging case. Together we are making strides toward a safer community,” Duplin County Sheriff Stratton Stokes said in the release.