Woman connected to four fentanyl overdose deaths sentenced to 23 years in prison

(Fargo, ND) -- A woman from Canada has been sentenced to 23 years in prison for her role in distributing fentanyl that resulted in multiple deaths.

The U.S Department of Justice says 42-year-old Marie Um was a part of an organization that was receiving fentanyl and similar drugs from China and bringing them to the U.S. The jury in the case, after deliberating for 3.5 days, found Um's efforts contributed to 9 overdoses, that resulted in the deaths of four people in North Dakota, North Carolina, Oregon, and New Jersey.

Um appeared in front of a U.S District Court Judge in Fargo. She was sentenced to 23 years in prison, is facing $11,048.43 in restitution, and $300 in special assessment. She was charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, distribute controlled substances with controlled substance analogues resulting in serious bodily injury and death; conspiracy to import controlled substances and controlled substance analogues resulting in serious bodily injury and death; and international money laundering conspiracy.

Um was arrested as a part of Operation Denial, which has charged 31 defendants in North Dakota and the seizure of nearly 1 million dollars in cash and property. She was extradited from Canada to the United States in 2021.