Ex-Marine Pleads Guilty To Drug Charges Linked To Death
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Federal prosecutors say a former Camp Lejeune Marine has pleaded guilty to distributing drugs which were linked to the death of a fellow Marine.
The U.S. Department of Justice says in a news release that 24-year-old Marcos Jamie Villegas of St. Charles, Illinois pleaded guilty on Wednesday to distributing oxycodone and fentanyl.
Prosecutors say Villegas and 20-year-old Cpl. Mark M. Mambulao went to a party in the town of Richlands in April 2017. According to an investigation, Villegas provided Mambulao with pills that he and a third Marine purchased. The next morning, Villegas discovered Mambulao unresponsive. Mambulao was taken to a hospital, where he died.
An autopsy showed Mambulao died from a fentanyl overdose and low alcohol content.
Villegas faces up to 20 years in prison.
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