L.I. drug dealer who was linked to 2 overdose deaths is sentenced

A L.I. drug dealer was sentenced today to 4 years in an upstate N.Y. prison.

Donnell Lewis, 41, was arrested on April 18, 2022, after investigators said they had connected him to 3 narcotics overdoses, police said in a press release at the time.

Two of those ODs were fatal, according to police.

Lewis was offered a plea deal by the Nassau County District Attorney. Under terms of that plea deal, Lewis will serve 4 years in state prison for selling narcotics.

He could get out sooner, with time off for good behavior.

Pursuant to that deal, Lewis pled Guilty on December 19, 2023, to a single count of Criminal Sale of Narcotics in the 3rd deg., a B Felony. His 26 other charges will be "covered" when he gets sentenced.

When he is eventually released, he will be on probation for 3 more years.

Ambulances outside the Emergency Room at Nassau University Medical Center.Photo byC.J. Teevan

Court records indicate Lewis's first charge was committed August 11, 2021. That date coincides with a rash of overdose deaths over a 3-day period in Suffolk County, alarming law enforcement authorities who blamed increased opioid activity on the Pandemic Lock-Down.

Lewis was indicted in March 2023 on 27 criminal charges. Eighteen of those charges were "B" Felonies for narcotics possession or sales; the rest were for Misdemeanor drug possession.

The L.I. Daily Mail reported on drug use in Suffolk County, where Lewis lived: Six L.I. residents are killed by cocaine laced with Fentanyl. The Suffolk Times reported the death of Fausto Rafael Herrera Campos "suddenly" at age 25 on Aug. 11, 2021.

Donnell Lewis, 42, pled guilty to selling drugs.Photo byNassau County Police Mug Shot

But under current New York law, Lewis could not be held responsible for the death of an addict who died after consuming narcotics supplied by Lewis.

State lawmakers want to change that.

Assemblyman Steve Stern points out that drug dealers like Lewis "can typically only be charged with criminal sale of a controlled substance (a class B non-violent felony)."

Federal law is tougher on convicted drug felons.

Jesse Pace pled guilty to Distributing Controlled Substances that Caused the Death of 4 people. His co-defendant, Marquis Douglas pled guilty to "distributing" narcotics that resulted in death.

Both are scheduled to be sentenced later this month. Douglas is expected to be sentenced to 25 years in federal prison. Pace's sentence is less clear -- but it could not be worse.

21st century investigations use DNA, surveillance videos, cellphone towers and fingerprints to I.D. drug dealers.Photo byColin DavisonUnsplash