Medford Man Sentenced to 78 Months for Fentanyl Overdose Death

A 31-year-old Medford man has been sentenced to 78 months in federal prison for his role in a fentanyl overdose death.

John Rocha, 31, was sentenced on February 20, 2024, after pleading guilty to distributing fentanyl.

According to court documents, on September 7, 2021, officers from the Medford Police Department responded to a report of an overdose death of a local 17-year-old high school student. Investigators soon learned that the teenager had taken counterfeit Percocet pills containing fentanyl.

Rocha was identified as the victim’s fourth-level drug supplier and admitted to having recently sold counterfeit pills when confronted by law enforcement.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Medford Area Drug and Gang Enforcement Team (MADGE). It was prosecuted by Marco A. Boccato, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

The Oregon-Idaho HIDTA program provided funding resources to support the multi-agency drug enforcement initiative. MADGE, a multi-jurisdictional narcotics task force, is composed of members from the Medford Police Department, the Jackson County Sheriff and District Attorney’s Offices, the Jackson County Community Corrections, FBI, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

John Rocha will serve 78 months in federal prison and four years of supervised release following his incarceration. This case serves as a stark reminder of the devastating impact of fentanyl distribution on our communities.