BATON ROUGE - An accused drug dealer was sentenced to 10 years behind bars for trafficking oxycodone.

43-year-old Kendrick D. Alexander, of Baton Rouge and New Iberia, must also serve three years of supervised release, forfeit $60,000 in drug trafficking-related proceeds and pay a $25,000 fine.

A jury convicted Alexander of possession with intent to distribute oxycodone on Mar. 12. Oxycodone is a Schedule II controlled substance that is classified as an opiate. Alexander was found to be serving as a supplier to lower-level dealers.

A series of recorded conversations were presented to the jury that captured Alexander negotiating a price of $60,000 for 5,000 30-mg oxycodone tablets. When law enforcement took the man into custody, he was in possession of a white paper bag that had that exact amount of cash inside for the drug deal.

“The opiate and heroin epidemic is an increasing national problem perpetuated by wholesale traffickers, like this defendant, who seek to exploit the addicted for profit. This sentencing should serve as a reminder of the significant prison terms and monetary penalties that await such offenders. I appreciate the efforts of the DEA and BRPD who continue to work together with our office and others in the law enforcement community to aggressively battle opiates and heroin,” said U.S. Attorney Walt Green.

The investigation into Alexander was carried out by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency with assistance from Baton Rouge Police.