Riverside County man sentenced for Idaho fentanyl overdose death

BOISE, Idaho (KESQ) - A Riverside County man convicted of a fentanyl overdose death in Idaho was sentenced to 13 years in federal prison, authorities announced.

Brian Arthur Goodale, 56, of Lake Elsinore pled guilty to distributing fentanyl. In addition to his prison sentence, he was ordered to pay restitution to the family of the victim to cover funeral expenses.

Goodale will serve three years of supervised release following his prison term.

The sentence comes after a person was found dead on March 16, 2023.

According to court records, the victim was found with a small drug tube clutched in his hand and a small piece of tin foil next to him.

A toxicology report and autopsy showed that the victim had a lethal dose of fentanyl in his system at the time of death. 

Authorities said the victim bought fentanyl from Goodale, who shipped it through the Post Office in Chula Vista to Boise, Idaho.

"The investigation revealed Facebook messages between the victim and Goodale.  Goodale sent a message that said, 'shoot the $100 and I’ll send it now . . . 3pk . . . but I’m gonna need the $200 on Wed. if your still alive!!,'" reads a news release by the Department of Justice. 

Goodale has an extensive criminal history that includes 29 prior convictions in the state of California, 20 of which are controlled substance offenses.  At the time he sold the fentanyl to the victim in Idaho, Goodale was on felony probation for offering a controlled substance for sale, fentanyl, in Riverside County.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50–100 times stronger than morphine. 

Check Out Fentanyl Crisis Section for More Coverage

Pharmaceutical fentanyl was developed for severe pain management and prescribed in the form of transdermal patches or lozenges.  According to the DOJ, while prescription fentanyl can be diverted for misuse, most cases of fentanyl-related overdoses in the U.S. are linked to Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations, who are the world’s leading producers of illicit fentanyl. These Drug Trafficking Organizations often collaborate with transnational cartels to smuggle illicit fentanyl into the U.S.