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Man sentenced to 3 years for distributing heroin to East Windsor 14-year-old who died

EAST WINDSOR–A man was sentenced to three years in jail after a 14-year-old died from a drug overdose. Ryan Poulin, 25, formerly of Glastonbury, pleaded g...
new world heroin

EAST WINDSOR–A man was sentenced to three years in jail after a 14-year-old died from a drug overdose.

Ryan Poulin, 25, formerly of Glastonbury, pleaded guilty on September 21, 2015 to one count of distributing a controlled substance to a minor.

The case is related to the February 16, 2015 death of East Windsor High School student Megan Koscinski, 14, who died from an accidental heroin and fentanyl overdose. Several other people died from the batch as well.

At the time, the batch, called “New World” was investigated, and police warned the public about the deadly strain, which was mixed with the synthetic opiate fentanyl. Fentanyl is a powerful opioid analgesic used to treat moderate to severe chronic pain that cannot be controlled with other medicines.  It is approximately 80 times more potent than morphine, and is potentially lethal, even at very low levels.

“Most drugs are not pure,” Dr. Kelly Johnson-Arbor, a toxicologist at Hartford Hospital, told FOX 61 in 2014. “What do you expect when you use heroin? Almost all of the heroin supply in the U.S. is contaminated. It’s no surprise that we’re seeing contaminants.” The fentanyl, she said, “is a particularly bad one that causes more problems.”

Five men were arrested in connection to dealing the fentanyl-laced heroin, which was labeled “New World.”

“This is truly tragic story and one that is playing out in our state at an alarming rate,” said U.S. Attorney Deirdre Daly in a press release announcing the sentencing. “There were nearly 400 heroin-related overdose deaths in Connecticut in 2015, which is an increase of approximately 50 percent since 2013. This epidemic is deeply disturbing and must be addressed from a number of perspectives. From the law enforcement perspective, together with the DEA and local police departments, we will continue to prioritize investigations of heroin overdoses and prosecutions of traffickers responsible for overdoses.”

Megan Koscinski was given the drug by Poulin’s 16-year-old girlfriend after she decided the “New World” batch was too strong for her. The girls traded different batches of heroin, and then took it together on February 15. Megan then showered and went to sleep, but she never woke up.

On February 14, Poulin and an acquaintance bought 20 dose bags of the “New World” batch of heroin for $80. They then went to Portland, and the friend injected himself with three bags of the drug. He then passed out, and Poulin left.

Poulin then went to his girlfriend’s house in East Windsor and took some of the heroin. The pair then went out for Valentine’s Day dinner, and when they got home Poulin took more heroin. The next thing Poulin remembered was being put in a shower by someone trying to revive him.

The next morning Poulin gave a bag of the drug to his girlfriend, but she had seen how much it had impacted Poulin. That’s why she traded it for a different bag of heroin with Megan.

Poulin was arrested on federal charges on July 31, 2014 and released into a substance abuse and counseling program. However, he violated the terms of his release and was taken back into custody on September 26, 2014. He has been detained ever since.

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