Farmington Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Supplying Fatal Fentanyl Dose

CAPE GIRARDEAU - U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Thursday sentenced a Farmington, Missouri man to 10 years in prison for supplying fentanyl to a friend shortly before the man's overdose death.

Judge Limbaugh also ordered James B. Link's sentence to run consecutive to any sentence he receives for 10 pending cases in state court.

On June 14, 2025, Link exchanged messages with the victim about fentanyl pills. Link's vehicle was spotted leaving the victim's home shortly before the death. The next day, investigators interviewed Link, who admitted delivering blue and yellow pills containing fentanyl to the victim shortly before he died. Investigators found those same blue and yellow pills in Link's house.

Link, now 32, pleaded guilty in April in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to one count of distribution of fentanyl.

The Ste. Genevieve County Sheriff's Office, the Mineral Area Drug Task Force and the Missouri State Highway Patrol investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Shelton prosecuted the case.