LEESBURG, VA — A 33-year-old man who sold fentanyl-laced drugs to a 17-year-old Loudoun girl—who died the next day—was sentenced to 14 years in prison this week in Loudoun County Circuit Court.
Haider Allaudin Sudhuzai was convicted of one count of distributing a Schedule I or II controlled substance. The Honorable Judge James E. Plowman handed down the sentence, calling the overdose death of the teen a tragedy that required a strong response.
The girl, whose name is being withheld to protect the privacy of her family, was found unresponsive in her home on the morning of September 25, 2022. A Loudoun Sheriff’s Office investigation later revealed that Sudhuzai had sold her drugs the day before—drugs that turned out to be laced with fentanyl.
Sudhuzai and the girl reportedly worked together at a local pizza restaurant before he was let go for poor job performance.
In court, Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Matthew B. Lowery asked the judge to go above sentencing guidelines, saying, “Behind me sits an entire community who wants this stopped.” Lowery emphasized that Sudhuzai was well aware of how dangerous the drugs were, and still gave them to a minor.
Judge Plowman agreed the case called for a serious sentence. “There must be severe consequences,” he said before sentencing Sudhuzai to 14 years in state prison.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Bob Anderson also weighed in: “Our community does not tolerate criminals who sell lethal drugs, especially those who distribute them to children.”
This death was one of 1,951 fentanyl-related overdose deaths in Virginia in 2022. Loudoun County, despite its wealth and reputation for safety, hasn’t been immune. The opioid crisis has taken root here, too—touching families in our schools, workplaces, and neighborhoods.
As Sudhuzai begins his sentence, the community is left grappling with the loss of a young life and the lingering threat of fentanyl in Loudoun.
