Dacula Man Sentenced to Life for Fentanyl-Laced Drug Murder

Benjamin Michael Hosler, 28, of Dacula, has been sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to felony murder and drug charges. The charges stem from the September 2021 fatal overdose of Dylan Smith, 24, who died from Fentanyl-laced drugs sold by Hosler.

Hosler pleaded guilty to felony murder, two counts of trafficking in illegal drugs (Fentanyl), violation of Georgia’s Controlled Substance Act, and three counts of illegal use of a communication facility.

“We constantly remind our community that it only takes one instance of Fentanyl use to end in tragedy,” District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said. “This defendant laced Fentanyl in the illegal drugs that he sold to the victim, and it turned out to be deadly. We cannot bring this victim back, but we hope this outcome helps his family and loved ones to heal from this loss.”

On September 18, 2021, Gwinnett County Police responded to a 911 call from Smith’s mother, who found him deceased in his bedroom with a depressed syringe. Officers at the scene discovered 0.3 grams of a light-brown substance in a distinctive wrapping on his nightstand, which tested positive for Fentanyl. A review of Smith’s phone revealed text messages between him and Hosler from the day before his death, in which Smith requested heroin and Xanax. Both substances were later found to be laced with Fentanyl.

Undercover officers conducted three separate operations between October and December 2021, purchasing heroin from Hosler. Each delivery came in the same distinctive wrapping found in Smith’s room, and all substances tested positive for Fentanyl. Investigators found evidence during these operations indicating Hosler’s awareness of the sales and the overdose issues. Hosler was arrested on January 24, 2022.

During opening statements of the trial this week, the jury heard a recording of Hosler answering the phone as “Fentanyl Enterprises” and saw police body camera footage from the overdose scene, after which Hosler subsequently entered his guilty plea.

The case was prosecuted by Gwinnett DA’s Drug & Gang Task Force Managing Assistant District Attorney Ryan Smith and DGTF Assistant District Attorney Brian Trepanier, with assistance from Victim Advocate Sussy Key, and DGTF Investigators Doug Loomis, John Wilbanks, Yayoi Huggins, Kristy Llewellyn, and David Brucz. The Gwinnett County Police Department and the Gwinnett County Medical Examiner were also instrumental in the investigation.