Austin man sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for selling fentanyl-laced pills

An Austin man will serve 14 years in federal prison for selling pills laced with fentanyl, two years after the man was linked to a fentanyl overdose death.

Trenton Tindall, 24, pleaded guilty in December to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl. The Austin Police Department and the FBI investigated Tindall. The U.S. attorney’s office for the Western District of Texas announced Tindall’s prison sentence Thursday.

Court records show law enforcement first learned of Tindall after responding to an overdose call in Austin in February 2022. It was later found that the person had fentanyl in their system.

More: Travis County has the highest rate of fentanyl deaths in Texas. Why is Austin a hot spot?

Investigators went through the deceased’s phone and found that the person bought fake oxycodone pills from Tindall.

Over months of investigation, Tindall sold fake “M-30” oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl to undercover agents, court records said. However, before Tindall’s arrest, a neighbor tipped him off that law enforcement was investigating him and he was able to get rid of some “evidence,” court records show.

Despite that, Tindall sold nearly 450 fentanyl-laced oxycodone pills to law enforcement.

Tindall’s lawyers did not immediately respond to a request to comment.