SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – The man who sold pills to a 15-year-old girl that died from fentanyl poisoning was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Monday.
Udda Ambi Kobaba, 19, received the minimum sentence of 240 months for distributing fentanyl that caused a death. He will also have four years of supervised release where he is to remain sober and out of trouble, or could risk an additional sentence.
In 2023, Kobaba sold counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl to 15-year-old Vermillion resident Kelcy Orr. When Judge Roberto Lange recounted the events, he said Kobaba worked with someone else to sell the pills to Kelcy and never made contact with her. Kelcy took one of the pills and died in her sleep from fentanyl poisoning on December 23, 2023.
After the hearing, Kelcy’s mom Jenny Orr told KELOLAND News she expected this sentence.
“I knew the mandatory or the minimum was 20 years, and I, as a mother, you always hope for more, but understand there’s circumstances and there’s guidelines,” Jenny said.
During the sentencing hearing, Jenny spoke to the courtroom. She demanded justice for not only her daughter, but for other young people who have died from fentanyl overdose. She hopes this sentencing will set a precedent for other drug dealers.
“Dealers think they’re winning when selling, but they’re tearing families like mine apart,” Jenny said during the hearing. She later added that “We must stop allowing fentanyl dealers to escape responsibility.”
She also asked that Kobaba receive rehabilitation while in prison to avoid him becoming a repeat offender when released.
“The judge took into effect that we do need to rehabilitate anybody who is dealing fentanyl to our children,” Jenny told KELOLAND News.
Judge Lange also ordered Kobaba to take part in the Bureau of Prisons’ substance abuse and cognitive behavior programs. Lange called this an “extraordinarily sad case” and the crime “tragic but foreseeable.”
Mark Joyce, the plaintiff’s attorney, said text messages between Kobaba and the person who physically distributed the pills to Kelcy – Yankton resident Evan Nelson, 18 – showed that the pills were laced with fentanyl and to “just sell them.” Nelson was indicted on May 15.
Kobaba also spoke during the sentencing hearing. He said he feels “remorse and sorrow” for his actions and wants to be clean for his two-month-old daughter.
An appeal for the sentence must be filed within 14 days.
