DETROIT (WWJ) – A confessed Downriver drug dealer has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Scott Sams of Southgate learned his sentence Wednesday after pleading guilty to giving two people fatal doses of meth in 2021.
Police identified Sams, 54, as a meth dealer in the Downriver area and investigators learned he often convinced his customers to “party” with him, according to U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison.
He often concocted “hot shots” of meth and Alka-Seltzer tablets to “purposely increase their high,” according to Ison’s office.
In May 2021 Sams met a woman at a hotel in Allen Park and gave her what turned out to be a fatal amount of meth. He fled the hotel as she overdosed and died, according to Ison’s office.
Despite the woman’s death, Sams continued to distribute meth in the area. Just weeks after that incident, officials say he delivered a second fatal dose to a man in Farmington Hills. Officials did not disclose the names of either victim.
Media reports from 2022 say as many as five people may have died from overdoses on meth they got from Sams. He was initially charged with conspiracy, possession with intent to distribute meth and delivery of meth causing death.
In announcing his sentencing Wednesday, officials with the FBI Detroit Field Office said they are still asking anyone who believes they may have been a victim of Sams’ to call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit tips online.
“My office will use every resource available to combat drug dealers who push controlled substances into our communities with indifference to the tragedy it inflicts. We will not hesitate to seek stiff penalties to keep this community safe,” Ison said, per a press release.