TAMPA, Fla. – A federal jury in Tampa has delivered a guilty verdict against two men for their roles in a drug conspiracy that claimed a life and flooded local streets with fentanyl. Miguel Cintron, 38, and Darrius Gustafson, 22, were both convicted of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl resulting in death, a charge that carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years and the possibility of life in federal prison.
The trial laid out a grim timeline of events involving Cintron, Gustafson, and two other associates, David Chudhabuddhi and Marquis Trant. Evidence showed that the group sold a lethal dose of fentanyl to an individual identified in court records as Victim-1, a student at the University of South Florida (USF).
Even after that transaction turned fatal, the group did not stop. Investigators testified that the four men continued their operations, unknowingly selling fentanyl to undercover detectives and deputies from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
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The investigation reached its climax on April 10, 2024, when law enforcement moved in to arrest the group.
During a search of Cintron’s Tampa home, authorities hit a massive haul. They recovered over seven kilograms of cocaine and fentanyl, along with more than $200,000 in cash hidden on the property.
While Cintron and Gustafson fought the charges in court, their co-defendants, Chudhabuddhi and Trant, had already opted to plead guilty. Those two are currently awaiting their own sentencing hearings, which are scheduled for June 18, 2026.
U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announced the conviction following the trial, which was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Candace Garcia Rich.
The conviction was the result of a massive joint effort involving the FBI, the ATF, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the University of South Florida Police, and the local Medical Examiner’s Office. Sentencing dates for Cintron and Gustafson have not been finalized.
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