Hopkins Man Sentenced to Life In Prison for Overdose Deaths

ST. PAUL – A Hopkins man has been sentenced to life in prison for distributing controlled substances, including fentanyl, which resulted in the deaths of 11 people and caused serious injuries to four people.

From 2014 through December 6, 2016, 31-year-old Aaron Broussard received controlled substances, including fentanyl, from China-based drug suppliers.

Broussard marketed these drugs for sale on his website, PlantFoodUSA.net, under the guise of selling plant food.

On March 12, 2016, Broussard placed a drug order for 100 grams of 4-FA which was shipped from China. The package actually contained 100 grams of 99% pure fentanyl.  Between March 31 and April 27, 2016, Broussard sent his branded packages containing fentanyl to more than a dozen customers throughout the United States. The customers had ordered and were expecting to receive a product similar to Adderall. They were not opiate users and had no tolerance for the deadly fentanyl Broussard sent them.

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After ingesting the fentanyl, believing it was Adderall, 11 of the customers died from a fentanyl overdose, and at least four customers suffered serious injury.

On March 31, 2022, following a 10-day jury trial, Broussard was convicted on 17 counts.