PIKEVILLE, Ky. (FOX 56) – A Shelbiana man was sentenced to life in federal prison on Tuesday for distributing fentanyl and para-flurofentanyl that led to the death of an individual.

Justin Bryant, 38, was convicted of distributing fentanyl and para-flurofentanyl and conspiring with others to distribute heroin, fentanyl, and para-flurofentanyl in October 2022, according to the Department of Justice.

According to trial evidence, on Oct. 21, 2021, Bryant smuggled drugs containing fentanyl and para-flurofentanyl into the Pike County Detention Center. The use of these drugs directly led to the death of another individual in jail.

During his sentencing, Bryant was connected to another overdose death in August 2021, and even after the overdose death that October, Pike County Detention Center and Pikeville police stopped Bryant from smuggling in more drugs to jail two more times.