HARRISBURG — Attorney General Dave Sunday announced that a Monroe County man has been sentenced to 7½ to 15 years in prison for selling a concoction of heroin, fentanyl, and xylazine to a woman who died of an overdose in 2023.
Joseph Robert Bleiler, 29, of Stroudsburg, previously pleaded guilty in May to involuntary manslaughter and possession with intent to deliver. He was sentenced to the maximum penalties allowed by law on the respective charges.
“Those distributing deadly poisons in our communities will face the full consequences of those actions,” Attorney General Sunday said. “Fighting to keep these substances out of Pennsylvania neighborhoods is a core function of the Office of Attorney General. Every life lost is a tragedy that will be forever felt by that person’s loved ones.”
The victim’s sister said during the hearing, “She was so full of life no matter what her situation was, she was always happy enough to make someone else feel happiness too.”
In July 2023, Stroud Area Regional Police were called to an apartment in Stroudsburg Borough for an unresponsive female. The victim went into cardiac arrest and died on the way to the hospital. The cause of death was determined to be fentanyl, heroin, and xylazine toxicity.
Xylazine is a potent tranquilizer commonly used as a cutting agent to increase profits for dealers. Naloxone (Narcan) has no impact on a person who ingested xylazine.
Investigators found one used baggie and one full baggie of powder that tested positive for fentanyl, heroin and xylazine, and determined the baggies were obtained from Bleiler.
This case was prosecuted by Senior Deputy Attorney General Jaime Keating. The Stroud Area Regional Police Department investigated the case and filed the charges.
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