SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. — In a landmark case, Ruslan Kochkin, a Folsom man, has been sentenced to 10 years in state prison for supplying a lethal dose of fentanyl that led to a fatal overdose — the first fentanyl-related homicide conviction in Sacramento County history.
Kochkin appeared in Sacramento County Superior Court this week, where he pleaded guilty to providing the fentanyl that killed a 30-year-old man on Sutter Street in January 2024.
The victim was found unresponsive on January 19, 2024, prompting a response from Folsom Police and fire personnel. Despite efforts to revive him with Narcan, the man died at the scene.
Kochkin’s arrest followed an extensive investigation by Folsom’s Special Investigations Unit, which found him in possession of both fentanyl and methamphetamine.
Authorities say the case sends a clear message that drug dealers will be held accountable for overdose deaths, especially involving fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that has become a leading cause of drug fatalities nationwide.
Ongoing Investigations:
Kochkin’s sentencing comes amid several ongoing fentanyl investigations in the region. One such case involves Keon Taylor, 21, of Sacramento, who is currently facing multiple murder charges related to fentanyl deaths.
Taylor was arrested in January 2025 after detectives linked him to a December 2024 overdose on Natoma Street that claimed the life of a 19-year-old man. Further investigation also tied him to a 2021 fentanyl death of a 17-year-old in Elk Grove.
Taylor is currently being held without bail and faces two homicide charges, with his next court appearance scheduled for Thursday.
Authorities continue to treat the fentanyl epidemic with urgency, citing these cases as evidence of a zero-tolerance approach to drug-related fatalities.
