Edwin Oliva Of Montebello Sentenced To 33 Years In Prison In Connection With Woman's Fatal Fentanyl Overdose
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — A Montebello man has been sentenced to more than 33 years in prison after prosecutors say gave fentanyl to a woman who died of a fatal overdose.
Edwin Oliva, 30, was sentenced Friday to 400 months in federal prison. He had pleaded guilty back in September to one count each of distribution of fentanyl resulting in death and possession with intent to distribute heroin. Oliva has been in federal custody since March of 2019.
Prosecutors say Oliva gave an unidentified woman a line of drugs to snort on Feb. 28, 2019 and did not tell her the substance was fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, and fatal even in minuscule doses. Oliva did not call 911 or try to get help for the woman until nearly six hours after texting a friend that she was not breathing, prosecutors said.
In the nearly six hours between Oliva determining the woman was not breathing and finally calling 911, prosecutors say he cleaned his apartment, and removed the fentanyl and other evidence of drug trafficking and hid it in his significant other's vehicle, then drove it away from the apartment. Montebello Police officers later searched the car and found more than several pounds of heroin and marijuana, several grams of fentanyl and methamphetamine, a loaded .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol, a blue flip phone prosecutors say was used to conduct drug transactions, and a notebook used as a pay/owe ledger.
While in custody, Oliva then instructed his significant other to destroy evidence in the case, and to tell investigators that the blue flip phone was a used by their children for play, according to prosecutors.
