A Macungie man will serve up to 15 years in state prison for the 2022 overdose death of an Alburtis woman.
Nathanial Tilahun, 29, will serve 5-15 years in state prison, followed by 5 years of probation, in the death of 23-year-old Caylin Strong. He was sentenced Friday by Lehigh County Judge Judge Anna-Kristie M. Marks, according to a news release from the district attorney’s office.
Tilahun pleaded guilty in February to a felony charge of drug delivery resulting in death.
Strong was found dead by Alburtis police the night of Oct. 5, 2022, in her West Second Street home. The Lehigh County Coroner’s Office determined she died from fentanyl toxicity, with the death ruled accidental.
Investigators determined Tilahun sold Strong pills that were said to be Percocet, but in reality contained a fatal amount of fentanyl, authorities said.
Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan said the case should serve as a reminder about the dangers of buying prescription medications from unauthorized sources.
“Buyers may believe they are purchasing something medically-produced and dose controlled and drug dealers will take advantage of this trust,” he said.
Holihan said the Lehigh County Drug Task Force has seen many cases in which pills sold by drug dealers — often containing near-fatal or fatal amounts of fentanyl — were intentionally misidentified.
“A person who believes they are taking a known prescription drug may take an entire pill, and even a tiny miscalculation in illicit production can result in a lethal dose,” he said.
The case against Tilahun was investigated by the Alburtis Police Department and prosecuted by Lehigh County Chief Deputy District Attorney Craig Scheetz.