Kansas City, Missouri – A 24-year-old Kansas City man, Dmitry Cattell, was sentenced to 21 years in federal prison without parole for leading a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, which resulted in a fatal overdose. The sentencing was handed down by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips earlier this week, on Thursday, May 2.
Guilty Plea and Distribution Network
On November 21, 2023, Cattell pleaded guilty to several charges, including conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, two counts of distributing fentanyl, one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and one count of being an illegal drug user in possession of a firearm.
During the conspiracy, which lasted from September 12, 2019, to April 5, 2022, Cattell distributed over 6,225 doses of fentanyl. He also admitted that at least 1.1 kilograms of cocaine were involved in the operation.
Fatal Overdose and Further Investigation
Evidence presented at the sentencing hearing connected Cattell to a fatal overdose caused by the delivery of fentanyl on May 18, 2020. While the victim remains unidentified in court documents, law enforcement officers had to respond to Cattell’s residence four times for overdose cases.
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During a raid on November 10, 2020, after Cattell sold a pill to his sister that caused her to overdose, police found a Taurus handgun with a defaced serial number under a pillow on Cattell’s bed. He confessed to selling fentanyl to several individuals, including his sister, his girlfriend, and another woman who crashed her car outside his residence—all of whom overdosed on the drugs he distributed.
Co-Defendants and Broader Investigation
Cattell is one of 11 defendants convicted in this conspiracy case. Co-defendant Dominic E. Holland, 25, was also sentenced to 10 years and 10 months in federal prison without parole on November 21, 2023.
The investigation was carried out by multiple agencies, including the FBI, Kansas City Police Department, and various county and local police departments across Missouri and Kansas.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maureen Brackett and Stephanie Bradshaw prosecuted the case.
