Pottstown Dealer Sold Fentanyl As Heroin, Led To Fatal OD: DA

POTTSTOWN, PA — A Pottstown man has been arrested after a 38-year-old man fatally overdosed on fentanyl which he thought was heroin last fall, police said.

Javier Esteban Velez, 23, of Pottstown, has been faces the criminal homicide charge of drug delivery resulting in death, the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office announced Thursday.

Velez arranged to meet the victim, Matthew A. Surbook, at around 9 p.m. on Oct. 28, 2019, police said. Text messages showed that the deal was concluded at 9:19 p.m., according to the DA.

Surbrook arranged to purchase heroin from Velez, but Velez wound up selling him 16 bagGies of fentanyl and fentanyl derivatives, including mixtures of fentanyl with cocaine and methamphetamine, the DA said.

Surbrook was seen on surveillance video driving to the 400 block of Upland Street at around 9:30 p.m. on Oct. 28. He never left his vehicle, and was found there dead by authorities the next day.

After an investigation, police used Surbrook's cell phone to arrange for another purchase of two baggies of "heroin" from Velez, and took him into custody when he arrived at the pre-arranged location.

DA Kevin Steele said the discovery of the combinations of fentanyl with cocaine and methamphetamine — both in Surbrook's toxicology report and on Velez's person upon arrest — "should be of great concern to drug users," as fentanyl is far deadlier than heroin.

Velez faces up to 40 years behind bars on the criminal homicide charge.

Velez was arraigned on Jan. 29 and bail was set at $500,000, which he did not post. He was booked at Montgomery County Correctional Facility.

A preliminary hearing is set for Feb. 12.