Grand Rapids man sentenced in Iowa drug death

Cedar Rapids, Iowa – A Michigan man has been given 18 months in prison for ordering drugs online and having them shipped to a friend in Iowa, who then died of an overdose.

The Dubuque Telegraph Herald reports that 29-year-old Jay Rickert had pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids to willfully causing the distribution of a controlled substance.

Rickert, of Grand Rapids, admitted he had ordered a hallucinogenic drug in February 2015 from a supplier in Canada and had it shipped to the friend in Dubuque. Investigators say the woman used the drug, believing it was a hallucinogenic, but the supplier had shipped fentanyl, a powerful and deadly synthetic opioid.

Rickert’s sentence includes three years of supervised release after prison and an order to pay restitution of more than $13,000.