A 34-year-old Maui man was sentenced Tuesday to 12 years in federal prison for selling fake oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl that killed a recreational drug user, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Jose Elias Camacho, 34, of Maui, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Susan Oki Mollway to 12 years in prison for trafficking in fake oxycodone pills containing fentanyl that resulted in an overdose death, according to a statement.

Camacho previously pleaded guilty in June to possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute, as part of a plea agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice.

Camacho sold five fake oxycodone pills “containing fentanyl to a 24-year-old man, who ingested the pills and overdosed,” according to court records.

First responders revived the victim and took him to a hospital, but he bought more fentanyl from Camacho as soon as he got out, and Camacho knew he had just been hospitalized for an overdose.

“Camacho sold the victim five more pills. The following morning, the victim was found dead at his home. An autopsy report indicated that he died of a polydrug overdose. A medical toxicologist who later reviewed the case determined the victim would not have overdosed and died but for the fentanyl Camacho distributed to him,” according to a news release.

On October 2, 2020, Maui Police Department officers working undercover sold Camacho 50 fake oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl.

“He was arrested as he left his house to conduct the transaction. 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 were found to contain fentanyl,” according to the release.

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 United States.

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 lives lost to drug overdose deaths.

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

“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. 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,” said U.S. Attorney Clare E. Connors. “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.”

The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Maui Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mohammad Khatib and Michael Albanese prosecuted the case.