KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A man was sentenced to 15 years in prison after delivering fentanyl to a woman who eventually overdosed from it, District Attorney Charme Allen said.
Wesley Allen Lacey was convicted of second-degree murder after a woman overdosed at a motel in Carter in April 2022, according to the DA.
EMTs gave the woman naloxone to try and stop the overdose, but life-saving measures were unsuccessful, the DA said.
A detective with the Knox County Sheriff's Office ultimately interviewed Lacey about the overdose death. He admitted that he gave the victim the drugs that killed her and that he bought the drugs from another dealer, according to the DA.
Lacey stated he was aware of the overdoses connected to that supplier and believed he was sold fentanyl. Despite these warning signs, he sold fentanyl to the victim who died after snorting it, the DA said.
“Fentanyl and it’s analogues have been the number one drug found in overdose deaths in our community since 2016,” Allen said. “Our work with the Drug Related Death Task Force aims to reduce the amount of fentanyl coming into Knox County in order to save lives.”