Las Vegas fentanyl dealer gets nearly five years in prison

A Las Vegas man who trafficked about half a pound of fentanyl, later telling authorities he thought he was selling heroin rather than the powerful synthetic opioid, will serve nearly five years in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the district of Nevada. 

In December, Tanoo Senethavilay pleaded guilty to a count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, averting a jury trial that could’ve landed him up to 20 years in prison, according to sentencing guidelines. The agreement got him four years and nine months, beginning today, when he was taken into custody after the hearing.

Public court records did not outline the crime, but authorities said Senethavilay, 37, and an alleged unidentified accomplice sold the drug to an FBI informant three times from August to September 2017. 

A federal grand jury indicted Senethavilay on four charges a year later.  

At one point, Senethavilay’s defense purportedly claimed he wasn’t aware he was dealing with the synthetic opioid. 

“The fact that (Senethavilay) may have believed he was selling ‘China white’ heroin instead of fentanyl highlights the inherent dangers of illegal drug trafficking,” prosecutors wrote in the sentencing memorandum. 

Fentanyl, which is up to 100 times more potent than morphine, has contributed to a spike of overdose deaths due to it being mixed with heroin and cocaine to heighten the effect of the high. 

Through the first half of 2020, fentanyl had contributed to at least 63 deaths in Southern Nevada, the Health District announced. The tally was one case short of those identified during all of 2019. 

A three-year supervised release awaits Senethavilay after he's released from prison, officials said.