FARMINGTON, Arkansas — According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Marchello Oliver, 34, from Farmington, was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison without the possibility of parole for his role in the overdose death of a woman who purchased fentanyl from him.
The DOJ says that after identifying Oliver as a fentanyl distributor in early 2022, agents with the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) made two separate undercover purchases of fentanyl directly from Oliver.
While searching Oliver’s home, the DEA agents reportedly located over 700 individual doses of fentanyl, 100 grams of cocaine, a loaded gun, and meth.
Authorities say Oliver admitted to distributing fentanyl in both powder and counterfeit pill form, as well as other controlled substances. On March 30, 2023, Oliver pleaded guilty to federal drug charges.
At Oliver’s sentencing hearing, reports say the court increased his sentencing range when presented with evidence that Oliver sold fentanyl that directly caused the death of a 47-year-old mother and wife from Rogers in February 2022.
Before Oliver’s sentencing, a co-conspirator, Ethan Driskill, 33, was sentenced to serve 38 years in federal prison for distributing fentanyl that resulted in the death of a 29-year-old male resident of Fayetteville.
According to court documents, on Feb. 3, 2022, the Fayetteville Police Department (FPD) found a 29-year-old man dead, with fentanyl and a syringe next to the body.
Shortly after, family members of the dead man reportedly contacted the DEA, which launched a federal investigation.
DEA agents say that on the night of Jan. 31, 2022, the dead man and his girlfriend bought what they believed to be heroin from Ethan Scott Driskill, 33, at a gas station in Fayetteville.
During the investigation, DEA agents conducted two controlled purchases of fentanyl directly from Driskill, resulting in a search warrant for Driskill’s Farmington home, where they found approximately 730 counterfeit pills containing Fentanyl, around 240 grams of Fentanyl powder, and two guns.
Driskill, who was already being supervised based on a previous felony conviction, was arrested along with his co-conspirator Amber Adair. Officials say that during an interview, Driskill admitted to selling fentanyl to the man who died.
Other members of the drug trafficking organization indicted federally are as follows:
Amber Nichole Adair: age 28, Farmington Arkansas – Aiding and Abetting Ethan Driskill, in the Possession of 40 grams or more of Fentanyl with the Intent to Distribute– sentenced to 96 months imprisonment and a 4-year term of supervised release.
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