Fentanyl death: Austin man sentenced to 20 years in prison
AUSTIN, Texas - An Austin man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for distribution of fentanyl resulting in death.
The backstory:
According to court documents, 22-year-old Keithrick Carter was a drug dealer who primarily sold blue "M30" fentanyl pills and marijuana.
On March 23, 2023, a 24-year-old male living in Leander was found dead in his apartment.
In the man’s bathroom, Leander Police found an unlabeled pill bottle containing one blue "M30" pill and some marijuana.
The autopsy and toxicology determined the cause of death as "drug toxicity: fentanyl."
A review of the dead man’s phone revealed a text exchange between the victim and Carter.
An investigation by the Austin Police Department confirmed that Carter was dealing fentanyl in the form of blue "M30" pills.
Carter was indicted for one count of distribution of fentanyl resulting in death on May 6, 2025. He was arrested on May 21, 2025, and pleaded guilty on Feb. 19, 2026.
What they're saying:
U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas said in a news release, ""Keithrick Carter knowingly sold poison in a pill bottle to a young man in our community. He was held directly responsible for that young man’s death and will now spend the next 20 years of his life in federal prison."
"However, no measure of manmade justice can assuage the pain felt by the victim’s family in this case. The best we can do is to remove the defendant from society so that he cannot inflict the same level of grief on any other families in our community," Simmons said.
"Fentanyl remains the deadliest drug threat facing our nation, devastating families and claiming the lives of young people across the country," said Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration San Antonio Division, Miguel Madrigal. "That is why the DEA remains committed to holding those who traffic this deadly substance into our communities accountable and to protecting the safety and well-being of our citizens."
The Source: Information from United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas.