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Pills sold on social media, overdose result in lengthy sentence for Maryland man

By DPNews@DominionPost.com 3 min read
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MARTINSBURG - Christion Sayyid Gill, 27, of Hagerstown, Maryland, was sentenced Monday to more than 17 years in federal prison for his role in a business that was selling fentanyl-laced pills online, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey.

"Fentanyl is deadly, and in this case, it nearly killed two teenagers," Harvey said. "Parents, talk to your kids about the dangers of buying pills online--counterfeit pills often look exactly like real prescription medication. And to anyone considering a scheme like this, law enforcement will find you and bring you to justice."

Christion Sayyid Gill, sentenced to 210 months, and his co-defendant built what investigators described as a highly organized digital drug marketplace. Working alongside his co-defendants, they used platforms like Telegram, Instagram, Snapchat, Signal and Linktree to advertise and sell counterfeit pills designed to look like Oxycodone. Behind the polished online presence, however, the pills were laced with fentanyl.

The danger of the scheme became clear when officers in Frederick, Maryland, responded to a suspected overdose involving two juvenile females. The blue pills found at the scene--later confirmed to contain fentanyl--were traced back to the scheme and a codefendant who travelled from Martinsburg, West Virginia to deliver the drugs. From a Hagerstown, Maryland base of operation, they arranged online orders and traveled throughout the tristate area to deliver drugs directly to customers.

A search of Christion Sayyid Gill's home revealed the scope of the operation. Investigators seized more than 20 grams of fentanyl, nearly four pounds of methamphetamine, 146 grams of cocaine, two firearms, and $49,950 in cash--a snapshot of a drug business built for volume.

Jayden Gill, 22, was convicted in November 2025 and is currently serving a 260-month federal sentence for his role in the scheme. A third defendant, Jamil Nicholas Gardner, 33, of Baltimore, is awaiting trial and is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Kane prosecuted the case.

Agencies involved in the investigation include the United States Postal Inspection Service; Homeland Security Investigations; and multiple Maryland law enforcement agencies including the Brunswick Police Department, Frederick City Police, Maryland State Police, Hagerstown Police Department, the Washington County Sheriff's Office, and the Frederick County Sheriff's Office.

Fentanyl has been designated by President Donald Trump as a weapon of mass destruction due to its extreme lethality which poses a grave threat to public safety, even in trace amounts. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime, and repel the invasion of illegal immigration.

U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.

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