A Bridgewater man has been sentenced to two years in prison in connection to a pill trafficking investigation in 2016.
Earlier this year, 68-year-old William Oswald Russell was charged with of possession for the purposes of trafficking in Hydromorphone.
In a written decision delivered Thursday, Justice Mona Lynch said a sentence less than federal incarceration couldn’t be considered due to the aggravating factors of the case.
Those factors included that Russell had been dealing Opioids strictly for profit and not due to issues with addiction.
In her decision, Mona Lynch said about Opioids, “It is not a recreational drug but rather an addiction which becomes necessary for life. Opioids have led to increased crime, devastating families and communities. In many areas of this country there is an overdose crisis.”
She also said while many have claimed Russell helped them deal with their addiction, “He has also contributed to the destruction of other lives by supplying Opioids.”
Russell had been arrested along with two other Upper Northfield men during a drug bust in 2016.
In his home, police found a supply of Hydromorphone pills and a cellphone full of text messages indicating he had been dealing.
On top of his two year sentence, Russell is also prohibited from owning weapons for 10 years.
