Alleged Fentanyl Dealer Arrested In Connection With 2024 Death Of Orinda Resident

A 26-year-old Alameda man was arrested Thursday for the murder of a 20-year-old Orinda resident who died of acute fentanyl intoxication after buying the drug from him in 2024.

Detectives arrested Ulzii Orshikh Batsukh of Alameda after determining where the unidentified victim purchased the drugs. Batsukh was booked into the Martinez Detention Facility on the murder charge. The circumstances of the purchase were not divulged.

In a release issued by the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s department Thursday, spokesman Jimmy Lee wrote that detectives secured an arrest warrant for the suspect after pinpointing where the drug was purchased along with the identity of the alleged dealer.

The victim’s cause of death was subsequently determined to be ‘acute fentanyl and para-flurofentanyl intoxication.’

Detectives filed the case with the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office, which formally charged Batsukh with murder for selling narcotics laced with fentanyl leading to the death of the victim. Batsukh is being held without bail.

Anyone with any information on this case is asked to contact the Investigation Division at (925) 313-2600. For any tips, email: tips@so.cccounty.us or call (866) 846-3592 to leave an anonymous voice message.