Maui man sentenced after drug trafficking leads to overdose death

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A 34-year-old Maui man was convicted this week of drug trafficking that led to death by overdose.

Jose Elias Camacho was sentenced by a U.S. District Court judge to 12 years in prison for trafficking counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl.

Prosecutors said he admitted in August 2020 to selling five of the counterfeit pills to a 24-year-old man who took the pills and later overdosed. The man went to the hospital, later discharged himself and contacted Camacho to buy more pills.

Despite knowing the man was in the hospital, Camacho sold him five more pills. The next morning the man was found dead in his home. Autopsy records showed he died of a “polydrug overdose.”

Even after prosecutors learned of the man’s death, he continued to distribute the pills.

In October 2020, undercover Maui Police Department officers made a deal to purchase approximately 50 pills from Camacho. He was arrested when he left his house to sell. A police search of his home later turned up about 400 light blue pills marked “M 30,” which prosecutors said were designed to resemble prescription oxycodone. Further investigation revealed that they contained fentanyl.

“Camacho knew the deadly risk of selling illegal narcotics, and in particular, he knew the increased risk associated with the tragic death in this case. Even after learning of the victim’s death, Camacho continued to sell a large quantity of lethal pills, endangering numerous lives,” said United States Attorney Clare E. Connors.

“This sentence sends a strong message that dealers whose products contain lethal doses of illegal narcotics, including fentanyl, will face serious consequences if they contribute to the scourge of overdose deaths on our community,” Connors added.

The Drug Enforcement Administration worked with the Maui Police Department to conduct this investigation.