Evansville Man Sentenced to Over Eleven Years in Federal Prison for Fentanyl and Methamphetamine Trafficking

EVANSVILLE, Adam Gerhardt, 34, of Evansville, has been sentenced to 140 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute over 400 grams of fentanyl and over 50 grams of methamphetamine.

According to court documents, in 2022, Gerhardt had an active felony warrant out of Kentucky for Burglary. On February 11, 2022, members of the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force located Gerhardt at an apartment complex in Evansville and took him into custody.

During a sweep of the home, agents found a set of digital scales, a glass smoking pipe for methamphetamine, four plastic bags containing 387 grams of pure methamphetamine, three plastic bags containing 793 grams of blue fentanyl pills pressed to look like oxycodone pills, two plastic bags containing cocaine, and two plastic bags containing heroin.

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, as little as two milligrams of fentanyl can be fatal, depending on a person’s body size, tolerance, and past usage—a tiny amount that can fit on the tip of a pencil. Seven out of ten illegal fentanyl tablets seized from U.S. streets and analyzed by the DEA have been found to contain a potentially lethal dose of the drug.

A search of text messages sent by Gerhardt showed him selling an eighth of an ounce of crystal methamphetamine for $100, the blue counterfeit pills for $15 each, and a gram of another drug for $225.

At the time agents located the drugs in the apartment, Gerhardt’s infant child was living in the residence under his care.

“Drug dealers like this defendant peddle deadly substances with utter disregard for human life, seeing only dollar signs and not the faces of the many loved ones have been lost to overdoses caused by the fentanyl hidden in these counterfeit pills,” said U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Myers. “It is our responsibility as federal law enforcement officials to attack the drug overdose epidemic head-on by identifying and prosecuting those who are funneling this poison into our communities. This prosecution and sentence demonstrate that our office will continue to work alongside DEA, USMS, and local Drug Task Forces to do just that.”

The DEA, U.S. Marshals Service, and Evansville-Vanderburgh County Drug Task Force investigated this case. The Indiana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program provided valuable assistance and resources to support this operation. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Richard L. Young. Judge Young also ordered that Gerhardt be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for 5 years following his release from federal prison.

U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant United States Attorney Lauren M. Wheatley, who prosecuted this case.

One Pill Can Kill: Avoid pills bought on the street because One Pill Can Kill. Fentanyl has now become the leading cause of death for adults in the United States. Fentanyl is a highly potent opioid that drug dealers dilute with cutting agents to make counterfeit prescription pills that appear to be Oxycodone, Percocet, Xanax, and other drugs. Fake prescription pills laced with fentanyl are usually shaped and colored to look like pills sold at pharmacies. For example, fake prescription pills known as “M30s” imitate Oxycodone obtained from a pharmacy, but when sold on the street the pills routinely contain fentanyl. These pills are usually round tablets and often light blue in color, though they may be in different shapes and a rainbow of colors. They often have “M” and “30” imprinted on opposite sides of the pill. Do not take these or any other pills bought on the street – they are routinely fake and poisonous, and you won’t know until it’s too late. 

###