A Connecticut man has been sentenced to six years in federal prison on charges that he was in possession of meth pills shaped like Mario the video game character.
33-year-old Ronnell Rogers was sentenced on Monday, May 11 to 72 months in prison and three years of supervised release for distributing fentanyl and for violating terms of parole from a previous federal conviction.
Rogers was arrested on May 2, 2024 by police in New Haven who say they found the Mario-shaped drugs in his possession. “At the time of his arrest, Rogers possessed fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin packaged for distribution, including meth pills shaped like cartoon characters that could be mistaken for candy,” authorities said.
Rogers was previously sentenced in 2022 to prison for narcotics and firearms possession charges. His sentence was later reduced and he was released in March 2024 until his arrest a couple months later in May 2024 on the Mario pill charges.
Believe it or not, this is not the first time Mario and meth have been linked. In 2022, the state of New York issued a public health alert for a potent strain of recreational drugs labeled “Super Mario.” The concoction was tested by authorities and found to have contained a combination of fentanyl, xylazine, and trace amounts of heroin and carfentanil.
Image credit: United States Attorney’s Office, District of Connecticut