Three Florida men were sentenced to federal prison in a fentanyl trafficking conspiracy, the Middle District of Florida U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Monday.
Alejandro Acevedo Luna, 34, and Juan Carlos Garcia, 38, were sentenced to 15 years and ten years in prison, respectively, after they conspired to sell more than a kilogram of fentanyl for $33,000. according to the office’s press release.
One kilogram of fentanyl can potentially kill half a million people, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. Synthetic opioid overdoses were estimated to have killed more than 71,000 people nationwide in 2021, based on provisional Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.
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The fentanyl supplier, Luis Omar Rosa Cotto, 32, was subsequently arrested for possessing more than half a kilogram and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment on Friday.
According to court documents, Acevedo Luna and Garcia conspired to drive to a gas station in Apopka and sell more than a kilogram of fentanyl for $33,000.
Garcia drove the vehicle and brought a loaded handgun with him, and Acevedo Luna brought the drugs and set up the deal. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) received information about the drug transaction and worked with the Apopka Police Department to conduct a traffic stop.
After a search, the loaded handgun was recovered from the center console of the vehicle, and the package of drugs was located in the backseat. Both men were arrested without incident.
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On the same day, Rosa Cotto was determined to be the source of the fentanyl, and a controlled purchase was set up by the DEA to buy an additional half kilogram of fentanyl.
Rosa Cotto arrived at the “buy” location with the drugs, and he was arrested.
A bag containing more than half a kilogram of fentanyl was found inside his vehicle.
All of the drugs were tested by the DEA laboratory and determined to be p-Fluorofentanyl, which is an analogue of fentanyl and is classified as a Schedule I controlled substance.
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