HARRISBURG, PA — A Monroe County man has been sentenced to 7½ to 15 years in state prison for selling a lethal drug mixture that led to a woman’s fatal overdose in 2023, Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced Tuesday.
Joseph Robert Bleiler, 29, of Stroudsburg, received the maximum sentence allowed by law after pleading guilty in May to involuntary manslaughter and possession with intent to deliver. Prosecutors said Bleiler sold a mixture containing heroin, fentanyl, and xylazine to the victim shortly before her death.
The case stems from a July 2023 incident, when Stroud Area Regional Police responded to a call about an unresponsive woman at a Stroudsburg Borough apartment. She went into cardiac arrest and died en route to the hospital. Toxicology reports confirmed the presence of all three substances in her system.
Xylazine, a veterinary tranquilizer not approved for human use, has become increasingly prevalent in the illicit drug supply. It is especially dangerous because it does not respond to naloxone (Narcan), a common overdose-reversal medication.
During the investigation, authorities recovered drug packaging at the scene that tested positive for the same substances and was traced back to Bleiler.
“Those distributing deadly poisons in our communities will face the full consequences of those actions,” said Attorney General Sunday. “Every life lost is a tragedy that will be forever felt by that person’s loved ones.”
The case was investigated by the Stroud Area Regional Police Department and prosecuted by Senior Deputy Attorney General Jaime Keating.
For the latest news on everything happening in Chester County and the surrounding area, be sure to follow MyChesCo on Google News and MSN.