US Attorney Breon Peace: Riverhead man sentenced to 25 years for distribution of fentanyl-laced cocaine that caused four deaths on East End

A Riverhead narcotics trafficker was sentenced yesterday to 25 years in federal prison yesterday in connection with the sale of fentanyl-laced cocaine that caused the deaths of four men in Greenport and Shelter Island in August 2021, U.S. Attorney Breon Peace announced yesterday afternoon.

Marquis Douglas, 39, pleaded guilty in November to conspiring with others to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine, more than one kilogram of heroin, more than 280 grams of crack cocaine, more than 40 grams of fentanyl and a quantity of fentanyl analogue (fluorofentanyl), and distribution of cocaine and fluorofentanyl on or about Aug. 12, 2021, which resulted in the overdose deaths of four people. 

Douglas’ narcotics operation distributed a quantity of cocaine laced with a fentanyl analogue in Greenport, Peace said. When this product was re-distributed at the street level, it ultimately led to four fatal overdoses on a single day in Greenport and Shelter Island. Douglas had distributed multiple kilograms of cocaine over the years, as well as kilogram level quantities of heroin and large quantities of fentanyl, Peace said. At the time of his arrest in May of 2022, Douglas was found in possession of 105 grams of fentanyl and 135 grams of cocaine, according to the prosecutor. 

Douglas was sentenced in federal court in Central Islip by U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert.

“Douglas’s singular contribution to the opioid epidemic on Long Island is horrific as the drugs he distributed contributed to the deaths of four human beings,” Peace said. “Today’s lengthy sentence should serve as a deterrent to those endangering our communities by distributing potentially lethal drugs. It is my hope that holding the defendant accountable for the terrible consequences of his actions will bring a measure of closure to the victims’ families.” 

Peace thanked  the Riverhead Police Department, the Southold Police Department, the Shelter Island Police Department and the New York State Police for their assistance with the investigation. 

Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney, who joined Peace in the announcement, said the defendant’s activities and the resulting deaths “underscores why New York State needs to adequately address the opioid overdose epidemic plaguing communities throughout NY state and the country.” He said the county’s collaboration with federal law enforcement “allowed the case to be charged federally and provide justice for the families of the victims.”

After four men were found dead on the East End on Aug. 13, 2021, after using cocaine laced with a fentanyl analogue, an investigation by police, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office and the FBI determined that Douglas was the source of the lethal narcotics, according to a press release issued by the U.S. Attorney’s office yesterday. 

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force investigation, the press release said. The task force identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks, according to the release.