Marion man pleads guilty in bogus painkiller case that FBI has linked to overdose deaths

One of three suspects indicted in October has pleaded guilty for his part in an illegal drug operation that the FBI said contributed to fatal and non-fatal overdoses in Smyth County, Virginia.

Kobe Malik Woods, 19, admitted to receiving large shipments of fake painkillers laced with Fentanyl beginning in early 2021 from a supplier he found on Snapchat who lived in California.

Woods will be sentenced on April 19th and faces a maximum sentence of up to 40 years in prison.

(IMAGE: SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA REGIONAL JAIL ABINGDON)