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Bill increases penalties for drug dealers in overdose deaths
JAMES MacPHERSON, Associated Press
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BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) North Dakota law enforcement agencies urged state lawmakers on Wednesday to support a bill that would enact harsher penalties for drug traffickers if a death results from the sale of their drugs.
Police chiefs and law enforcement associations told the Senate Judiciary Committee that stiffer penalties are needed, especially as such fatalities mount across the state.
“Currently, law enforcement in North Dakota has no ability to hold these individuals responsible in a meaningful way,” Fargo police Chief David Zibolski said.
The bill would make it a Class A felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison for someone convicted of trafficking drugs that cause a death. Rep. Kim Koppelman, a West Fargo Republican who is the bill’s main sponsor, said the current penalty is a lower felony charge punishable by up to five years in prison.