Vero Beach Fentanyl Dealer Sentenced to 15+ Years

GRIMY TIMES – In a hard-hitting blow against the fentanyl crisis, Sudiata Stinson, 47, of Vero Beach, Fla., has been sentenced to 188 months in federal prison for distributing a deadly mixture containing fentanyl. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Jose E. Martinez on June 10.

Stinson’s guilty plea came after he was charged with two counts of distributing the substance, following an intensive investigation triggered by the overdose death of a young woman in Vero Beach. Law enforcement honed in on Stinson as the supplier, leading to a joint operation between the DEA and Indian River County Sheriff’s Office that resulted in two purchases of fentanyl from him.

‘The DEA and our partners are relentless in their fight against those who peddle this deadly poison,’ said Markenzy Lapointe, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. ‘Stinson’s sentence is a stark reminder of the consequences of distributing such a dangerous substance.’

The DEA has deemed fentanyl as the deadliest drug threat facing the United States, with over 38,000 deaths in just the first half of 2023. The agency’s ‘One Pill Can Kill’ campaign underscores the lethal potential of even small doses of the drug.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Hoover prosecuted the case, which also involved Special Agent in Charge Deanne L. Reuter of the DEA Miami Field Division and Sheriff Eric Flowers of the IRCSO. For more information on the case, visit www.flsd.uscourts.gov or http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 23-CR-14040.