Loma Linda man sentenced to 10 years for fentanyl distribution linked to fatal overdose

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — A Loma Linda man has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for distributing fentanyl that resulted in a fatal overdose in January 2024, the Drug Enforcement Administration announced.

Alexander Nihar Biswas, 42, was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge Kenly Kiya Kato and ordered to pay $1,701 in restitution. He pleaded guilty Jan. 6 to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and has been in federal custody since March 2025.

According to his plea agreement, Biswas agreed to sell fentanyl to the victim and met the person in the parking lot of a Loma Linda hotel on Jan. 4, 2024. The victim used the drug later that day and suffered a fatal overdose.

Biswas admitted that the fentanyl he distributed resulted in the victim’s death.

The case was investigated by the DEA and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department’s Overdose Response Team. Federal prosecutors credited the agencies’ cooperation in bringing the case to a conclusion.

DEA officials said fentanyl remains a major public health threat and the leading cause of death among Americans ages 18 to 45.