A man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison after he sold fentanyl to a Dubuque man who subsequently overdosed and died.v39-year-old James A. Earwood of N.C., recently received the sentence from U.S. District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams after a jury found him guilty of distribution of a controlled substance resulting in the death of the victim, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa. Williams also ordered that Earwood must serve five years of supervised release after his prison sentence. There is no parole in the federal system. The release states that trial evidence showed Earwood mailed a package of heroin and fentanyl from North Carolina to a man in Dubuque on Nov. 18, 2021. The man, who is not named in the press release, subsequently used the drugs and overdosed, but survived. On Dec. 17, 2021, the Dubuque man received another package of heroin and fentanyl from Earwood, the release states. The Dubuque man used the drugs and died shortly after, the release states. The man was found deceased by staff at a Dubuque hotel. The release states that Earwood used social media to advertise drugs and arrange transactions nationwide.
