A Des Moines man, Sean Michael O’Boyle, has been sentenced to 220 months in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking crime. The sentence was handed down on July 17, 2025.
Court documents reveal that in the fall of 2024, O’Boyle, aged 34, was involved in selling and receiving large quantities of fentanyl. On September 30, 2024, law enforcement approached his vehicle, prompting him to flee. During the escape attempt, he collided with a police car and crashed into a tree before fleeing on foot. He discarded a stolen loaded firearm during the pursuit. In his vehicle, authorities found distribution quantities of fentanyl and another firearm.
O’Boyle was held accountable for 315 grams of fentanyl and was deemed to have recklessly endangered others during his flight from police. Following his prison term, he will serve five years of supervised release. Federal sentences do not include parole.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa announced the sentencing. The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation.
Fentanyl is currently the leading cause of drug overdose deaths in the United States. Overdose deaths among youth aged 15 to 24 more than doubled between 2018 and 2022 due to counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl resembling pharmaceutical drugs but containing lethal doses.
