A Spokane man gets 25 years for mailing fentanyl that killed two men

A Spokane, Washington, man was sentenced Monday to 25 years in prison for mailing about 150 fentanyl pills to Skagway, a shipment a federal jury found caused the deaths of two men within about 24 hours.

Jacob Cotton, 35, was convicted in March of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and of distribution of fentanyl resulting in death, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Skagway was "dry" when the deal was made, the office said, meaning no fentanyl was available in the community. Prosecutors said the shipment also caused two other overdoses there.

Cotton mailed the parcel from Spokane on Jan. 9, 2023, and it arrived within three days. On Jan. 12 the recipient told several people the pills were for sale. The next night, around 11:30 pm, that man, 28, was found unresponsive on his bathroom floor and later declared dead. The following afternoon, a 44-year-old man was found dead in his bedroom. The state medical examiner determined both died from acute toxic effects of fentanyl. Investigators later recovered 62 pills hidden inside a computer tower at the younger man's home.

The jury applied a "death resulting" finding for both men, which required proof that Cotton's pills caused each death and raised the sentence he faced.

Cotton contested it. He argued the pathologist who performed both autopsies had not testified with medical certainty that fentanyl alone caused one of the deaths, and that findings common in opioid deaths were absent. U.S. District Judge Timothy Burgess denied his motion for acquittal or a new trial in July, writing that the evidence did not weigh against the verdict.

"While nothing can undo the loss experienced by the families and friends of the victims, today's sentencing represents an important point of closure in a case that has weighed heavily on our community," Skagway Police Chief Jerry Reddick said.

The DEA and Skagway police investigated, with help from the Alaska State Troopers. Alaska recorded 339 drug-overdose deaths in 2024, down from 357 the year before, with fentanyl involved in 73% of them.