Amityville Man Convicted For Selling Fatal Dose Of Fentanyl

AMITYVILLE, NY — An Amityville man was convicted on Monday for selling a fatal dose of fentanyl and now faces up to 24 years in prison.

Austin "Malik" Hunter, 43, was convicted by a jury of three counts of third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance, third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and second-degree criminally using drug paraphernalia.

"Unfortunately New York State still does not have an explicit ‘death-by-dealer’ statute on the books, but that hasn’t stopped our Office from arresting and convicting drug dealers in connection with fatal overdoses, and seeking maximum prison time for those criminals," Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy D. Sini said in a statement.

In April 2019, Suffolk County police officers responded to a fatal overdose in Lindenhurst and determined the person ingested fentanyl, according to Sini. Shortly after, law enforcement agents from the Long Island Heroin Task Force conducted an undercover operation to buy narcotics from Hunter, Sini said. He was arrested during the operation after he arrived at the agreed-upon location, according to Sini.

The case marks the first conviction in Suffolk County for a criminal sale of a controlled substance based on a toxicology analysis instead of the physical recovery of narcotics. It was also the first felony trial conviction in Suffolk County since jury trials were reinstated amid the coronavirus pandemic.

"Pandemic or no pandemic, if you are selling drugs in Suffolk County, we are coming for you," Sini said. "Simple as that."

The trial began on Oct. 14 and the jury deliberated for over four hours before returning a verdict of guilty. Hunter is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 15. He faces a maximum sentence of up to 24 years in prison.

"Those who prey on the addicted to increase their bottom line should know that we take fatal overdoses very seriously and utilize every tool to ensure dealers are held accountable," Suffolk County Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart said.