5 years in prison for trafficking in fentanyl – News – Record-Courier

A woman who was stopped in Streetsboro with more than 100 grams of fentanyl was sentenced to five years in prison on Monday.

Natalie D. Esparza, 28, of Fremont in Northwest Ohio, pleaded guilty in May to the first-degree felony.

“I am regretful of my decisions,” Esparza said during her sentencing hearing, adding she had “hung around with the wrong people.”

Her attorney, Abigail Schock of the Portage County Public Defender’s Office, pointed out to former Portage County judge John Enlow, who was sitting in for Judge Becky Doherty, that Esparza had no prior offense similar to this. Schock said Esparza had taken advantage of all the possible programs in jail to commit to her sobriety. 

Schock said Esparza had previously overcome alcohol addiction and gotten her license back after it was suspended for more than 10 years. She also noted that Esparza was not a part of a trafficking ring. 

Portage County assistant prosecutor Kim Kaplan-Quinn said that the fact that the offense was a serious one should be factored into the sentencing.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid drug that is 50 times more potent than heroin.

Esparza was also cited for failure to control during the traffic stop, a minor misdemeanor, for which she was fined $43 plus $142 in court costs.

Enlow waived the mandatory $10,000 fine as Esparza was found indigent and will be in prison, so she could not pay back the fine. 

Contact reporter Eileen McClory at 330-298-1128, emcclory@recordpub.com or @Eileen_McClory.