Jury Trial Pushed Back Again In Case Against Alleged Counterfeit Pill Ring Leader
Click here to read Utah’s 2018 Infosheet
The start date for the jury trial of Aaron Shamo has once again been moved back. He is the Cottonwood Heights, Utah man accused of running a major drug ring that shipped counterfeit oxycodone pills made with fentanyl and counterfeit alprazolam pills across the country. He has been held in jail since his arrest in November of 2016. Shamo’s original trial date was set for February 13, 2017, but, according to the August 3, 2018 Order to Continue Jury Trial, multiple factors, including the continuing amount of discovery material that the prosecution has been turning over to the defense, pushed the new start date out to January 22, 2019.
In the Order to Continue Jury Trial, it was stated that the prosecution intends to file a superseding indictment including a “death-resulting” count. According to The Salt Lake City Tribune, prosecutors announced that authorities were investigating 28 overdose deaths that could be linked to the pills. It is unknown how that might affect the new start date of the trial.
By June of this year, four of Shamo’s six co-defendants agreed to plea deals in return for their cooperation. The only person besides Shamo to not have reached a plea deal is Drew Crandall, the person that prosecutors said was second-in-command at this drug ring. If you would like to know more of the history of this case, here are previous articles on PSM about it:
- https://www.safemedicines.org/2018/03/case-updates-from-two-major-fentanyl-drug-rings-out-of-texas-and-utah.html
- https://www.safemedicines.org/2018/05/more-charges-in-utah-based-counterfeit-pills-case.html
- https://www.safemedicines.org/2018/06/defendant-admits-guilt-in-utah-counterfeit-drug-ring-case.html
- https://www.safemedicines.org/2018/06/three-co-defendants-admit-to-their-roles-in-massive-utah-counterfeit-pill-case.html
Aaron Shamo is not the only person who has brought counterfeit drugs to Utah. Click here to learn about other counterfeit incidents in the state.