Drug Dealer Who Supplied Fentanyl-Laced Pills To Mac Miller, Gets Nearly 11 Years In Prison

Ryan Michael Reavis, one of the three-drug dealers charged in connection to the fatal fentanyl overdose that ended the life of rapper Mac Miller in Sept. 2018, was reportedly sentenced to nearly 11 years in prison on Monday.

Reavis, 39, appeared in federal court in Los Angeles, the middle man who claimed that he had no idea that the counterfeit oxycodone pills he provided to a fellow dealer were laced with fentanyl.

The sentence is longer than what Reavis asked for, which is five years; however, it is shorter than the 12 and a half years prosecutors sought. The U.S. District Judge Otis D. Wright II imposed the punishment after prosecutors read a statement from Miller's mom, Karen Meyers. Miller died at the age of 26 at his home in Los Angeles from an overdose of alcohol, cocaine and fentanyl.

"My life went dark the moment Malcolm left his world. Malcolm was my person, more than a son. We had a bond and kinship that was deep and special and irreplaceable. We spoke nearly every day about everything – his life, plans, music, dreams," the statement said.

Meyers's son, born as Malcolm James McCormick, had an "infectious and bright" laugh, as she recalled. She describes their love for each other "unparalleled" and said her son's music and voice "spoke to many people all over the world."

"He would never knowingly take a pill with fentanyl, ever. He wanted to live and was excited about the future. The hole in my heart will always be there," she added.

Meanwhile, before the sentencing, Reavis told the court that he was unaware the pills provided caused the rising rapper's death until he was arrested in Arizona in Sept. 2019. "This is not just a regular drug case. Somebody died, and a family is never going to get their son back. My family would be wrecked if it was me. They'd never be all right, never truly get over it. I think about that all the time. And I know that whatever happens today, I'm the lucky one because my family is here and I'm here and I'll be with them again. I feel terrible. This is not who I am," Reavis told the court. "My perspective has changed. My heart has changed."

Reavis had three guns in his possession when he was arrested in Lake Havasu, including an untraceable "ghost gun," boxes of ammunition, "digital scales covered in heroin and methamphetamine residue," blank prescription pads, and baggies, according to prosecutors.

Reavis is the first out of three men charged who received his sentence. He pleaded guilty in Nov. 2021, while Stephen Walter, also charged with one felony count of distributing fentanyl, also pleaded guilty but has not yet been sentenced. Meanwhile, the third man, Cameron Pettit's case, is still ongoing.