HONESDALE -- Borough Police filed charges against a Beach Lake man for selling the drugs that resulted in the fatal overdose of a Honesdale man in September 2019.
Wayne County District Attorney A.G. Howell said 47-year-old George Hazimof of Orchard Heights faces a single felony charge in the overdose death of Jeffrey Canfield on Sept. 26, 2019.
Police found Canfield dead in an upstairs bedroom of his residence on September 28, 2019 after a family member notified police that she had not heard from him in two days. Officers also discovered evidence of intravenous drug use at the scene.
Forensic examinations of cellphones possessed by Canfield and Hazimof, with the assistance of Wayne County detectives and other agencies, revealed evidence of drug deals between the two men, including one on the afternoon of September 26, 2019, the day police believe Canfield died, according to a criminal complaint filed in the case. An autopsy by Dr. Gary Ross concluded that Canfield died from an overdose of fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid drug.
“I want to commend Honesdale Borough Police for an excellent job and thorough investigation in this case,” said Howell. “As District Attorney, I will work with law enforcement to investigate every overdose death, and wherever possible, aggressively prosecute those responsible for supplying these deadly drugs.”
If convicted, Hazimof faces a maximum of 40 years in prison and a fine of $25,000. He was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Linus Myers and remanded to the Wayne County Correctional Facility in lieu of $50,000 bail. He was already being held on $60,000 bail in two other cases.
Hazimof is scheduled for court on Wednesday, January 15th at 9 a.m. in Central Court.