Upstate New York Man Sentenced to Prison After Selling Deadly Dose of Fentanyl-laced Heroin to Friend

A Fredonia resident who admitted selling a fatal dose of fentanyl-laced heroin to a longtime friend has been sentenced to over 11 years in federal prison.

John Wallace-Buchanan, 38, received a sentence of 11¼ years on a narcotics conspiracy charge stemming from the death of 31-year-old Benjamin Gibson.

Gibson died on January 10th, 2022, in the Chautauqua County Village of Celoron after using the drugs sold to him by Wallace-Buchanan.

Among the final text messages sent by Gibson to Wallace-Buchanan was a brief but haunting comment: “that stuff is strong.”

Authorities investigating Gibson’s death concluded the remark referred to the potency of the heroin he received, which Wallace-Buchanan later admitted was laced with fentanyl.

Wallace-Buchanan reflected on the tragedy in court. He told the judge that Gibson was a “good friend of mine” and added, “I hate that he’s not here.”

Wallace-Buchanan, a military veteran who served two tours in Iraq, explained that his experiences overseas contributed to his personal battle with addiction, which began with methamphetamine.

He noted that his time incarcerated in the Niagara County Jail since his initial federal court appearance on April 26th, 2023, may have helped him turn his life around.

“When I first arrived, I was forced to face difficult truths – truths I had long buried after the loss of my daughters’ mother and the trauma I experienced during my time as a soldier,” Wallace-Buchanan wrote in a letter to U.S. District Judge Richard Arcara.

“For years I convinced myself I had things under control. But the truth is, I allowed my pain to lead me down a path of self-destruction. I turned to drugs in an attempt to numb myself from the world, and it was that choice that ultimately led me here.”

In his courtroom remarks, he added, “I made the fatal mistake of doing that stuff.”

Wallace-Buchanan also told the court that seven of his fellow servicemembers had died from overdoses or suicide after returning home.

His defense attorney, Paul Dell, emphasized that his client never intended to harm anyone. “Wallace-Buchanan did not mean to cause anybody’s death,” Dell said. “This was reckless behavior that led to the death of a friend.”

But for Gibson’s grieving family, the consequences were unforgivable.

“Friends don’t poison friends,” said Chris Gibson, Benjamin’s mother, in an emotional victim impact statement delivered in court.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey E. Intravatola urged the court to impose the maximum sentence within the advisory guidelines. “Everyone knows a dose of fentanyl can kill someone,” he said. “In this case, it did.”

Judge Arcara ultimately handed down a sentence at the lower end of the sentencing range. He cited several mitigating factors including Wallace-Buchanan’s expression of remorse, acceptance of responsibility, efforts toward rehabilitation, and his military service.

The judge also acknowledged that Wallace-Buchanan's primary motivation for selling drugs was to maintain his own addiction.

Upstate New York Man Sentenced to Prison After Selling Deadly Dose of Fentanyl-laced Heroin to Friend