A fentanyl supplier got life in prison for a deadly overdose. He could have killed thousands

Daily Caller News Foundation

A New Port Richey, Florida, fentanyl trafficker was sentenced to life in prison for distributing a sum of fentanyl that caused one man’s deadly overdose and had the potential to end 40,000 lives, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

Addicts sold fentanyl for Justin Kelly in Pasco County, and he supplied 40 grams of the drug to dealer Steve Kinney, who gave it to a married man with stepchildren, the DEA’s press release said. The man ultimately died in November 2020 with his stepchildren sleeping feet away, and police later discovered more fentanyl, a rifle, cash, kilogram presses and scales in searches of Kelly’s motel room and a storage unit.

A person who consumes just 2 milligrams of fentanyl can die depending on how much they weigh, their tolerance level and their usage history, according to the DEA. Synthetic opioid overdoses killed an estimated 71,238 people nationwide in 2021, a more than 20% increase compared to the previous year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.

Kinney was sentenced to four years and nine months in federal prison in January after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl, the DEA said. A federal jury convicted Kelly in November of distributing and conspiring to distribute fentanyl resulting in death, and he was also sentenced to 15 years in prison for possession/distribution of fentanyl and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.

In his State of the State address, Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called for treating fentanyl dealers “like the murderers that they are.” He pledged in January that the state would make targeting children with fentanyl made to resemble candy an offense carrying a mandatory life prison sentence.

The DEA’s Miami Division did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact [email protected].

 

DONATE TO BIZPAC REVIEW

Please help us! If you are fed up with letting radical big tech execs, phony fact-checkers, tyrannical liberals and a lying mainstream media have unprecedented power over your news please consider making a donation to BPR to help us fight them. Now is the time. Truth has never been more critical!

Success! Thank you for donating. Please share BPR content to help combat the lies.

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

BPR INSIDER COMMENTS

Scroll down for non-member comments or join our insider conversations by becoming a member. We'd love to have you!

Latest Articles