VENTURA, CA - District Attorney Gregory D. Totten announced today that Matthew Slough (DOB 1/28/91), of Ventura, was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Kevin DeNoce to six years in prison after a jury found him guilty in November of furnishing heroin and causing great bodily injury during the commission of the furnishing. Slough was also sentenced to a concurrent 16 months prison after pleading guilty to felony possession of a zip gun and explosives in an unrelated matter.

On February 9, 2014, Ventura Police officers were dispatched to a residence concerning the heroin overdose of a 32-year-old male. The victim of the overdose was transported to the hospital, where he ultimately died. Based upon a newly established protocol, investigators with the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office notified detectives with the Ventura County Interagency Pharmaceutical Crimes Unit, who took over the investigation. Within days, detectives were able to determine the victim had obtained heroin from Slough in the hours before his overdose. Slough was arrested on February 27, 2014, and released from custody on March 14, 2014, after posting a $55,000 bail bond.

On July 31, 2014, investigators with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Gang Unit executed a search warrant at Slough’s residence as part of an ongoing weapons investigation. During the search, investigators located zip guns, silencers, and explosives. Slough was arrested and booked into the Ventura County jail.

The Ventura County Interagency Pharmaceutical Crimes Unit is a task force comprised of members from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, Simi Valley Police Department, the District Attorney’s Office Bureau of Investigation, and the California Highway Patrol. The primary mission of the task force is combatting the transfer of legal prescription medication to the illegal market. In addition, the task force works to identify and stop new trends of abuse among the younger population and investigates overdose deaths due to both prescription medication and illicit drug use. Anyone with information regarding these topics is encouraged to contact the Ventura County Interagency Pharmaceutical Crimes Unit at (805) 383-8700 or via e-mail at pharm.tip@ventura.org.