A New York man who authorities say distributed fentanyl in Monroe County has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania said Eric Francis Butler, 49, of Nassau County, New York, will have four years of probation following his release from prison.

U.S. District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani imposed the sentence.

According to Acting U.S. Attorney John C. Gurganus, Butler set up a hub for drug distribution in 2019 in Monroe County.

During a two-week period in July and August 2019, Butler’s sale of fentanyl resulted in the deaths of two people in Monroe County, and the near death of another who survived only after the administration of naloxone.

Butler appeared in federal court in Scranton on Nov. 7, 2023, and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine, and the distribution of fentanyl resulting in death and serious bodily injury.

The charges stem from a joint investigation involving the Drug Enforcement Administration in Scranton and the Pocono Township Police Department.