Lexington man gets 30 years in drug case that took new mother’s life

A Lexington man was sentenced Thursday to 30 years in federal prison for distributing heroin and fentanyl that resulted in the death of a 29-year-old woman, who had given birth two weeks before her death.

U.S. District Judge Danny Reeves sentenced Christopher Allen, 44, for distributing a controlled substance resulting in death. Under federal law, Allen must serve at least 85 percent of his sentence.

A jury convicted Allen in May of distributing heroin and fentanyl resulting in death, conspiracy to distribute heroin and fentanyl, and possession with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl.

According to the September 2015 trial testimony, Allen distributed heroin and fentanyl to Nicole Alvarez, who had given birth to a baby two weeks before her overdose. Alvarez was found by her boyfriend in her home.

Authorities were able to verify that Allen supplied the drugs to Alvarez. A toxicologist testified that Alvarez died as a result of the toxic effects of the heroin and fentanyl and that the level of fentanyl in her system was three times the therapeutic range.

“The people responsible for these tragedies, like Mr. Allen, have a heavy price to pay for their decision to peddle these poisons,” said Kerry B. Harvey, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky. “This is a crisis that requires us to use every available tool to fight back. One such tool is our federal law that imposes a prison sentence of 20 years to life, with no parole, on those professional drug dealers and suppliers that sell heroin, fentanyl or other opiates, which result in death or serious bodily injury.”

This story was originally published September 2, 2016 at 4:09 PM with the headline "Lexington man gets 30 years in drug case that took new mother’s life."