BIG STONE GAP, Va. — A Wise County man has admitted to his role in a conspiracy to sell counterfeit pills that resulted in two people suffering overdoses, including a young girl.
Paul Perkins, 20, of Big Stone Gap, pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.
Perkins told police that he developed a source for fentanyl pills disguised as oxycodone out of California and would order as many as 1,000 at a time for less than $2 a pill. He would then take between 30 and 50 of the pills a day and sell the rest for between $15 and $30 a pill.
In November, two people overdosed after buying pills from Perkins. They later recovered.
Perkins now faces up to 40 years in prison.
Two others charged in the case — Cheyenne Cassie Carico, 19, and Austin Lane, 22 — pleaded guilty last week. They will be sentenced Aug. 10.
