An Alexandria resident, Alhagi Gassim Conteh, was sentenced yesterday to 10 years in federal prison for distributing counterfeit oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl. Court records reveal that, over a period spanning February to April 2024, Conteh obtained close to 4,000 pills marked “M30”—a stamp meant to resemble real oxycodone—but the pills instead contained fentanyl, a synthetic opioid far more potent and dangerous than oxycodone.
Investigations showed that Conteh, 30, sourced the fentanyl-laced pills from Fredericksburg, using a connection who allegedly received shipments as large as 30,000 pills at a time. In interactions with a confidential source (CS), Conteh openly discussed the scale of the operation, which included selling the counterfeit pills to the CS and possibly others in the area.
During a search of Conteh’s Alexandria home on April 12, authorities found around 500 fentanyl pills, cocaine, ammunition, a handheld pill press, and digital scales, reinforcing the extent of the illegal enterprise. Conteh’s sentence reflects a crackdown on fentanyl trafficking, as law enforcement continues to confront the flow of these dangerous drugs, which have fueled the rise of overdose deaths in the region and across the country.