PARK CITY, Utah — A Las Vegas man was sentenced Wednesday for distributing fentanyl that nearly killed a Park City resident in 2022, but his history with drug dealing reaches as far back as 2016.
Colin Andrew Shapard, 23, will serve 20 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. In December, he entered a plea agreement, acknowledging he distributed the drugs.
Shapard was arrested in 2022 after an 18-year-old Park City man ingested several pills provided by Shapard and overdosed. Emergency responders used Narcan to the revive the man and he survived the overdose.
Before his most recent arrest, Shapard was accused of distributing the drugs that resulted in the 2016 overdose deaths two 13-year-old Treasure Mountain Junior High students.
Shapard was later prosecuted in the Utah juvenile court system where felony charges were dismissed after he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor Reckless Endangerment charge and was sentenced to probation and drug treatment.
In the years after he completed his juvenile sentence, Shapard enrolled in college in Las Vegas. Then, in 2021, officials were tipped off that Shapard was once again participating in drug distribution and an investigation was reopened.
According to federal court documents, Shapard had been a skilled opioid supplier for about eight years, using shell businesses, escrow accounts, money transfers, and other advanced techniques to cover his tracks.
During the investigation, officials seized shipments of counterfeit blue M30 pills laced with fentanyl that were mailed from Las Vegas to Utah.
Additional packages were seized and undercover agents even purchased drugs from Shapard as part of the investigation.
"Mr. Shapard told the undercover agent that the “blues” he sold were legitimate pharmaceuticals that he acquired from Canada," officials stated. "Shapard also claimed he tested every shipment of pills he received to confirm they did not contain fentanyl, when in fact they did."
“There is no outcome that can fully heal the destruction caused by Mr. Shapard’s actions," said U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah in a statement. "Nevertheless, today’s sentencing is an important step toward justice for the victim and the many family members and friends affected by Mr. Shapard’s distribution of deadly fentanyl. The tireless work on this case by some of DEA’s finest investigators is proof that the DEA is unwavering in its commitment to pursuing those criminals who seek to distribute poison in our communities.”
