Source: Office of United States Attorneys
SAN DIEGO –Scott Anthony Sargent of San Diego pleaded guilty in federal court today, admitting that he supplied the fentanyl that caused the fatal overdoses of a 40-year-old woman and a 35-year-old man in North Park in 2022.
San Diego Police officers, along with investigators from the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Overdose Response Team, responded to a 911 call at a home in North Park in the very early hours of November 10, 2022. When law enforcement officials arrived, they found four individuals unresponsive in the home. Two of the individuals were pronounced dead at the scene, while Sargent and another individual were treated with Narcan and transported for medical attention and recovered.
According to the plea agreement, Sargent admitted that he distributed the fatal mix of fentanyl and para-fluorofentanyl (a common fentanyl analogue) to the two victims, causing their deaths.. Investigators linked Sargent to the overdoses through the fentanyl/para-fluorofentanyl mixture found at the overdose location and in a subsequent law enforcement search of Sargent’s storage locker.
Sargent’s backpack was found at the site containing 318 grams of methamphetamine, 26.2 grams of fentanyl/para-fluorofentanyl, and 13 bags of a tan powdery substance weighing 437.9 grams of fentanyl/para-fluorofentanyl. Sargent’s duffel bag, also recovered from the bedroom, contained 30.4 grams of methamphetamine and 11.3 grams of fentanyl/para-fluorofentanyl.
Sargent’s storage locker was searched following his arrest. Inside, officers found two 40 mm semi-automatic handguns, 3.2 kilograms of methamphetamine, 5.44 grams of cocaine, and 113.4 grams of fentanyl/para-fluorofentanyl.
“This result is another reminder that the U.S. Attorney’s Office is tackling the fentanyl crisis at all levels: from suppliers to traffickers to street-level distributors,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “Even dealing personal use amounts of fentanyl can result in a federal conviction.”
“A guilty plea cannot undo the lives lost, but it can stand as a stark reminder that those who distribute these drugs will face severe consequences,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Brian Clark. “Investigating and bringing to justice those who choose to harm our community is exactly what DEA and our partners are committed to doing.”
“Our department, along with federal and local partners, proudly brought justice to the victims of this heartbreaking crime,” said San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl. “Let this case be a warning to anyone dealing these dangerous drugs in our communities. We will find and prosecute you, just as we did in this case.”
Sargent’s sentencing hearing is set for April 4, 2025, at 9 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Robert Huie.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Gordon and Sarah Goldwasser.
Special Agents and Task Force Officers with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Overdose Response Team led the investigation. This case is the result of ongoing efforts by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the San Diego Police Department, the La Mesa Police Department, National Guard Counterdrug Task Force and the California Department of Health Care Services to investigate and prosecute the distribution of dangerous illegal drugs—fentanyl in particular—that result in overdose deaths. The Drug Enforcement Administration created the Overdose Response Team as a response to the increase in overdose deaths in San Diego County.
DEFENDANT Case Number 24cr807-RSH
Scott Anthony Sargent Age: 63 San Diego, CA
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Distribution of Fentanyl
21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1)
Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison
INVESTIGATING AGENCIES
Drug Enforcement Administration
San Diego Police Department
Homeland Security Investigations
California National Guard Counterdrug Task Force
California Department of Health Care Services
La Mesa Police Department
San Diego County District Attorney’s Office