A Philadelphia man was arrested after he allegedly sold drugs to a woman that led to her fatal overdose.
Harold Burton, 36, was arrested and charged with drug delivery resulting in death. Police say Burton received drug-related text messages from Renee Winslow of Pottstown back on January 28. Burton then allegedly told her he would deliver four bags of heroin to her apartment on High Street.
Surveillance video showed Burton entering and leaving Winslow’s apartment, officials said. Winslow was found dead inside her apartment the next morning.
The Montgomery County Coroner’s Office determined Winslow died from a fentanyl overdose. Investigators say drug baggies recovered near Winslow’s body all contained the synthetic opioid, which officials describe as “40 to 50 times more deadly than street-level heroin.”
“Fentanyl is killing people,” said Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele. “Addicts do not know that what they are injecting is the much more powerful fentanyl since it looks practically identical to heroin. But when it hits their system, the fentanyl shuts down their body, and they die."
"If we continue at this pace, we’re going to have one of the deadliest years for overdose deaths. We have to get the word out about fentanyl. This stuff is deadly for addicts, could be deadly for law enforcement and deadly for their K-9 partners. This is poison.”
In addition to drug delivery resulting in death, Burton is also charged with manufacture, delivery or possession of controlled substances and criminal use of communications.
“Renee Winslow’s death was not attributable to a violent crime,” Steele said. “This death is attributable to someone poisoning her, poisoning her with this very deadly drug fentanyl. Drug dealers beware – you give a drug to someone and they die, you are on the hook for Drug Delivery Resulting in Death.”
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Burton was arraigned Tuesday with bail set at $1 million. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 6.
NBC10 explored the tragic world of heroin and opioid addiction earlier this year in a special investigation, Generation Addicted. The in-depth project highlighted people suffering to break free from the drug's strong and deadly grip as well as explore efforts by public health officials and law enforcement to address the growing epidemic.
