He sold the dose of fentanyl that killed a man. Now, he will serve up to 20 years in prison.

After a 27-year-old man was found dead in his home from a fentanyl overdose, authorities in Warren County traced the source of the powerful painkiller.

A two-and-a-half-month investigation led them to Matthew Evans, of the first block of Woolston Way in Washington Borough — a 10-minute drive from the Green Street home in Washington Township where his buyer’s body was found early the morning of Feb. 2, 2018.

On Monday, almost a year after his arrest, Evans, now 40, was sentenced to 20 years in prison, the county prosecutor’s office announced. His conviction in January may have been the county’s first on the charge of strict liability for a drug-induced death, said Victor Jusino, who prosecuted the case.

In January, the prosecutor’s office had said Evans could face up to life in prison under a New Jersey law allowing the court to impose an expanded sentence. But on Thursday, it appeared Judge Robert Reed adhered to the 20-year maximum sentence that is typical for that type of charge.

Evans was also sentenced to five years each on three additional drug distribution and possession charges, but those sentences will run simultaneously with the 20-year one. Evans will have to serve at least 17 years, followed by five years of parole after his release, Jusino said.

When Evans was arrested, investigators at the time said the charges “should send a clear message” to dealers.

“If you sell drugs to someone and they die as a result of taking those drugs, you can and will be charged with the death,” they said. “Let’s hope they get the message.”

Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter@SteveNovakLVL and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.