23 years in prison for woman linked to four fentanyl overdose deaths

Fargo, North Dakota – For her part in the distribution of fentanyl, which led to numerous fatalities, a Canadian lady was given a 23-year prison term.

According to the US Department of Justice, Marie Um, 42, was a part of a group that imported fentanyl and other drugs from China into the US. After 3.5 days of deliberation, the jury determined that Um’s actions contributed to nine overdoses that killed four people in North Dakota, North Carolina, Oregon, and New Jersey.

Um came before a judge in a US district court in Fargo. She was given a 23-year prison term, as well as $300 in special assessments and $11,048.43 in reparations. She was accused of conspiring to import controlled substances and controlled substance analogues that caused serious bodily injury and death, possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances and controlled substance analogues that caused serious bodily injury and death, and engage in international money laundering.

Um was detained as part of Operation Denial, which has brought charges against 31 defendants in North Dakota and resulted in the confiscation of approximately $1 million in cash and other assets. In 2021, she was returned to the US after being extradited from Canada.