A Columbia man was sentenced to four years and nine months to 10 years in state prison after he pleaded guilty earlier this year to selling nearly two dozen grams of fentanyl – enough to kill more than 11,000 people.

When given the opportunity to speak before his sentencing on Nov. 20, Sadi Angel Corretger, of the 200 block of South 5th Street, apologized to the court system, his family and to anyone he’s harmed through his actions, promising to no longer make “poor decisions” and to serve as a better role model for his children.

While stating he appreciated the “candor” in which Corretger addressed the court and saying he believed his attempts to change for the better are sincere, “you weren’t caught with an insignificant amount of drugs in this matter,” Judge Merrill Spahn said.

Lancaster County Drug Task Force detectives found Corretger selling 23.35 grams of fentanyl from a residence in the 2400 block of Rob Drive in Mount Joy in April 2022 – the culmination of a year-and-a-half investigation that included seven different controlled purchases of narcotics from him at the residence. Detectives also found drug paraphernalia and packaging materials in the residence which indicated Corretger planned to sell the drugs.

Assistant District Attorney Sarah Hansen, who prosecuted the case, noted that just two milligrams of fentanyl is enough to be a lethal dose. The amount Corretger possessed, Hansen told the court, would have been enough to kill thousands of people.

Over the years Corretger has preyed on some of society’s most vulnerable people by selling drugs, but “so far no period of incarceration has stopped him,” Hansen told the court.

In imposing a sentence Judge Spahn said he was “required to consider everything” including Corretger’s extensive” criminal record dating back to 2013 which includes numerous felony drug and gun convictions and the danger he poses to the community.

As to whether Corretger uses his time in prison to truly become a better man, “that’s up to you,” Judge Spahn told him.

Corretger, 34, had previously pleaded guilty in August to charges of possession with intent to deliver and use or possession of drug paraphernalia.

In tearful pleas to the court, Corretger’s sister and the mother of one of his three children conceded that he had made mistakes in the past but nevertheless argued that he had become a changed man and deserved a lenient sentence.

An attorney representing Corretger acknowledged that his client had “a significant drug problem” in the past, but said he was “remorseful” for his actions and asked for a mitigated sentence.

Prior to his sentence being imposed Corretger also thanked Drug Task Force detectives and the District Attorney’s Office, who he credited for saving his life.

Drug Task Force detectives filed the charges.