RARITAN TOWNSHIP, N.J. — Leonard R. Contreras, 26, of Hopelawn, pleaded guilty on Friday to first-degree strict liability for drug-induced death, according to a joint statement from the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office and the Raritan Township Police Department.
The guilty plea comes in connection with the death of 21-year-old Cayla R. Dunham, of Hedgesville, West Virginia, who died from a fentanyl overdose on October 31, 2022, in Raritan Township. Dunham and her boyfriend had purchased what they believed was cocaine from Contreras, but lab tests later confirmed the substance was predominantly fentanyl.
Prosecutors will recommend a 10-year prison sentence for Contreras, who will be required to serve 85% of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole, as mandated by New Jersey’s No Early Release Act.
The case was the result of a joint investigation by the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotics Task Force and the Raritan Township Police Department.