Huntsville woman arrested for distributing fentanyl

Published 6:30 pm Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Federal prosecutors have charged a Huntsville woman with a drug crime following a man’s death from an overdose of the powerful opioid fentanyl.

A statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Birmingham said 30-year-old Ashley Danielle Smith was arrested Tuesday at her apartment in Huntsville.

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She is charged with distributing fentanyl that led to the death of a 25-year-old man on Nov. 15, 2017. Authorities haven’t released details, including the man’s name. The grand jury returned the indictment against Smith on Sept. 26.

“The Department of Justice has marshaled forces to fight the opioid crisis that continues to claim lives and ravage families in America,” Town said. “Fentanyl is lethal in minute doses, and as dealers add it to more and more drugs, it is causing both fatal and non-fatal overdoses. Our message to the drug dealers could not be more clear…cause an overdose and go to federal prison.”

The penalty for distributing a controlled substance that results in death is 20 years to life in prison and a maximum $1 million fine.