Wilmington man sentenced for fatal fentanyl overdose case

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY)  — A Wilmington man has been sentenced in connection with a fatal fentanyl overdose that happened in 2022.

According to the District Attorney’s Office, Ethan Faircloth, 25, pleaded guilty this week to Death by Distribution and Attempted Trafficking in Opioids or Heroin. He will spend up to eight years in prison.

Upon his release, Faircloth will spend an additional two years in the TROSA residential recovery facility, meaning he will not be able to return home for a total of 94 months.

Prosecutors said the case stems from the death of Dennis “Nash” Connor, who died on Sept. 7, 2022, from fentanyl toxicity. An investigation by the Carolina Beach Police Department revealed that Faircloth sold Connor several blue, round fentanyl-laced pills. When Faircloth was later arrested, officers found approximately 80 of the same counterfeit pills in his possession.

“Fentanyl is extremely lethal,” said District Attorney Jason W. Smith. “Some drug dealers are selling pills that are manufactured to look like pharmaceutical drugs, when they are actually made in a clandestine lab and contain varying amounts of fentanyl. Even a portion of one of these counterfeit pills can be deadly. Anyone selling or delivering any form of illicit fentanyl can expect to end up behind bars.”