Fentanyl Pusher Gets 11+ Years

⏱ 3 min read

Dezmond Tobias Tucker, 31, is trading street corners for a federal cell after a judge slammed him with 131 months – eleven years and one month – for flooding Spartanburg with fentanyl. The Union County dealer was directly linked to the December 2022 overdose death of a 20-year-old woman, though authorities haven’t released her name. Tucker was initially caught in an October 2023 sting operation, an undercover buy that started the whole thing unraveling.

Federal Judge Jacquelyn D. Austin didn’t show an ounce of mercy during sentencing this week. No parole. Just over a decade behind bars, followed by three years of supervised release. The case started with a partnership between Union Police and the DEA, who built a solid case showing Tucker was a full-time fentanyl peddler. The feds clearly demonstrated a connection between the poison Tucker was selling and the young woman’s death, painting a picture of pure callousness.

The bust wasn’t just about fentanyl. A March 2024 raid on Tucker’s home turned up a firearm, adding a weapons charge to the mix. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Schoen handled the prosecution, securing the hefty sentence. It’s another win for federal efforts to choke off the flow of fentanyl preying on communities across South Carolina.

This case is a brutal reminder of the human cost of the opioid crisis. While Tucker sits in prison, another family is left to mourn a preventable loss. The DEA continues to target dealers like Tucker, hoping to stem the tide of fentanyl-related deaths that continue to plague the state.