Man sentenced to 20 years in overdose death
ALBANY, N.Y. >> A Saratoga Springs man pleaded guilty to distributing furanyl fentanyl that caused an overdose death in Saratoga County in February 2017, as well as also admitted to possessing two firearms in furtherance of his drug trafficking activities.
He agreed to be sentenced to 20 years in prison.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith; Special Agent in Charge Ray Donovan, New York Division, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); and Saratoga Springs Police Department Chief Shane Crooks.
Steven M. Boice, 30, pleaded guilty today to distributing furanyl fentanyl on Feb. 10, 2017, when the DEA, Saratoga Springs Police and New York State Police executed a search warrant on Boice at his residence in downtown Saratoga Springs, where they found furanyl fentanyl packaged for sale and 2 firearms.
Boice admitted to possessing a total of 363 green-colored envelopes containing furanyl fentanyl.
He also admitted to possessing two firearms to protect his drugs and drug proceeds. When law enforcement entered his house on Feb. 10, 2017, Boice had a loaded Mossberg Maverick shotgun, leaning against a wall of his bedroom and directly next to the door, and a loaded DPMS Panther Arms .223-5.56 mm semi-automatic rifle, under his bed.
“I commend our investigators for working with their federal and state counterparts to arrest Steven Boice within a month of his moving to Saratoga Springs,” Crooks said in a press release. “Boice was a scourge on our community, and by stopping him we prevented further tragedy. We extend our deepest sympathies to the family of the young man who died.”
“Steven Boice showed total disregard for the lives of others,” Jaquith noted. “In selling furanyl fentanyl – a new, synthetic opioid many times more powerful than heroin and even fentanyl – he risked the lives of many, and caused the death of a young man whose family grieves every day.
“Boice also sold drugs while armed with a loaded rifle and loaded shotgun, demonstrating that he was prepared to use deadly force to safeguard his drug sales. I commend law enforcement for acting quickly to investigate and arrest Boice, which undoubtedly saved lives.”
“This investigation made it evidently clear that no town is immune from the deadly consequences of fentanyl,” Donovan added. “In order to save lives, law enforcement continues to warn the public about fentanyl’s potency and traffickers mixing fentanyl with more illicit drugs for sale like cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine.
“I applaud the diligent work of the men and women at the DEA Albany District Office, Saratoga Springs Police Department, New York State Police, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York.”
Boice admitted he sold controlled substances, including furanyl fentanyl, from his residence in Saratoga Springs. Early on Feb. 3, 2017, he sold approximately 50 small envelopes, each containing furanyl fentanyl, to a Saratoga County man who overdosed and died that same day.
Boice admitted the victim would not have died had he not used the furanyl fentanyl that Boice sold to him. Furanyl fentanyl is a fentanyl analogue that the DEA Administrator listed as a Schedule I controlled substance, on an