A Minnesota man has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for his role in an international drug trafficking operation that led to the death of a former distinguished University of Alabama professor.

U.S. District Judge L. Scott Coogler sentenced 46-year-old Christopher Louis Bass following Bass’s guilty plea earlier this year, according to a joint statement Wednesday by Northern District of Alabama U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and U.S. Postal Inspection Service Inspector-in-Charge Mona Hernandez of the Houston Division.

Louis Donald Burgio, 68, died Aug. 20, 2022.

Burgio was a psychology professor at the University of Alabama and the University of Michigan.

In 2004, UA’s Board of Trustees recognized Burgio as the University’s Distinguished Research Professor for his work in the Applied Gerontology Program, the highest honor bestowed upon a faculty member at the University.

Authorities said Bass admitted that Burgio’s death resulted from Bass’s criminal activity.

According to the plea agreement, Bass used the U.S. Postal Service to distribute narcotics, primarily counterfeit Oxycontin, throughout the U.S.

Bass received orders over the internet for counterfeit pills and then concealed shipments of pills within priority Mail packages.

In August 2022, Burgio received counterfeit narcotics in Tuscaloosa that were shipped by Bass. Unknown to Burgio, the counterfeit pills also contained fentanyl. He died at home as a result of the toxic effects of fentanyl, prosecutors said.

A search of Bass’s Minnesota residence after Burgio’s death led to the seizure of counterfeit pills, fentanyl, and packaging material. A search of Bass’s phone revealed spreadsheets of customers, addresses, U.S. Postal Service tracking numbers, weights and quantities of orders, and pricing for pills.

“This case reminds us all too clearly that drug distribution is not a victimless crime,” Escalona said.

The case was investigated by the Tuscaloosa Police Department, the Tuscaloosa County Violent Crimes Unit, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Birmingham and in the Twin Cities, the East Central Drug Task Force, and the Anoka-Hennepin Narcotics and Violent Crimes Task Force.

Assistant United States Attorney Alan S. Kirk prosecuted the case.

“The overdose death in this case is a stark reminder of the dangers of fentanyl and why the Postal Inspection Service remains committed to eradicating these illicit substances from the U.S. Mail and consequently safeguarding our community,’’ Hernandez said.

Burgio left behind a wife and three daughters.

“He loved his daughters with a fierce and uncommon devotion,’’ according to his obituary.“They were truly the center of his world for much of his life and for all of theirs.”

“He instilled in them the importance of hard work and receiving a good education and…afforded them every opportunity to do so,” the obituary read. “He raised them to enjoy an eclectic range of musical artists and genres. He believed that music was in the soul. He valued legacy, tradition, and a dedication to his family culture. He was an epic story teller, and his comedic timing was priceless.”