California Man Suspected of Using Drone to Drop Off Fentanyl, Leading to Fatal Overdose

Christopher Patrick Laney, 34, also known as "Cranky," of Lancaster faces nine criminal counts.

The charges include one count of distribution of fentanyl resulting in death, four counts of operating an unregistered aircraft in furtherance of a felony narcotics crime, one count of possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, two counts of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and one count of possession of firearms during a drug trafficking crime.

A grand jury returned the indictment on Sept. 17 and it was unsealed on Wednesday.

Laney was expected to be in court for an arraignment on Thursday in downtown Los Angeles, about an hour south of Lancaster.

According to the indictment, Laney is suspected of using an unregistered drone on Jan. 17, 2023, to transport fentanyl from his house to a nearby church parking lot, where a third party picked it up.

"Laney distributed the fentanyl to a third party that provided it to the victim, identified in the indictment as 'J.K.,' who was found dead the next day after she suffered a fatal drug overdose," prosecutors said in the press release.

Video footage taken by the drone allegedly shows Laney using the same drone to transport and distribute narcotics at least three other times in December 2022 and January 2023, prosecutors said.

In February 2023, Laney also had at his home multiple firearms, including an AR-15-style rifle without a serial number, commonly referred to as a "ghost gun," and two 9 mm pistols, also without serial numbers, prosecutors said.

If convicted of all charges, Laney would face a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years in federal prison and possibly life.