Oceanside woman convicted of selling fentanyl that killed 29-year-old U.S. Marine

An Oceanside woman who sold fentanyl powder that caused the overdose death of an active U.S. Marine was sentenced this week to more than six years in a federal prison.

Jesse Sanders, 24, pleaded guilty to meeting the victim in early 2022 and selling him fentanyl.

The Marine, a 29-year-old man whose name was not released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, was found unconscious in his parked vehicle at Camp Pendleton by his wife.

Prosecutors allege that Sanders was aware of the potentially dangerous strength of the fentanyl because she warned the victim to have naloxone ready while taking it.

Sanders was sentenced to 78 months in prison on Monday.

“Fentanyl is so powerful, so toxic, so addictive, that it can entrap even the toughest among us,” San Diego U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath said in a statement. “Today’s sentence may not bring this Marine back, but it reflects the consequences for traffickers who traffic this poison: prison.”

City News Service contributed to this article.