Chattanooga man sentenced to prison for fentanyl-related overdose

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — A Chattanooga man was sentenced to 21 years in prison on Wednesday for his involvement in a fentanyl-related death.

Jonathan Bash. Hamilton County Jail

U.S. District Court Judge Curtis L. Collier sentenced 25-year-old Jonathan Bash to 252 months in prison. After his sentence has ended, Bash will be on supervised release for five years.

The U.S. Department of Justice said Bash distributed para-fluorofentanyl to Charlotte Gallant, resulting in her overdose death. Para-fluorofentanyl is a fentanyl analog, meaning it has a similar chemical structure to fentanyl. It is, however, more potent than fentanyl.

Gallant was only 19 at the time of her death.

The DOJ said Bash pled guilty in court to distributing the substance to a young man. That young man then shared the substance with his girlfriend, Charlotte Gallant.

Court documents indicate that Bash told the couple that the drug was ketamine. Both Gallant and her boyfriend overdosed on the para-fluorofentanyl, the DOJ said.

However, the young man survived the overdose. He did suffer from serious bodily injuries, though.

“This is a tragic case. Using any kind of narcotic acquired on the streets or even from a friend, regardless of how the drug appears to be marketed, can unknowingly lead to the use of fentanyl, and the effects can be lethal,” said U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton, III. “Our office will continue to prosecute these cases to bring justice to the community and the families of the victims, including Ms. Gallant and her family.”

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI and the Chattanooga Polic Department aided in the investigation.