Laquan De’Shay Jones Sentenced to 7 Years for Fentanyl, Gun Crimes

Laquan De’Shay Jones, 23, of Apopka, Florida, is behind bars for seven years after being sentenced on federal charges tied to fentanyl distribution and firearms. U.S. District Judge Roy B. Dalton, Jr. handed down the sentence for Jones’s role in possessing nearly 15 grams of fentanyl with intent to distribute and carrying a loaded Glock pistol during the crime.

Jones pleaded guilty on August 18, 2021, after Orange County Sheriff’s deputies arrested him on an active felony warrant for violation of probation. During the arrest, law enforcement found the loaded firearm inside his vehicle. Hidden in the trunk inside a duffle bag: multiple plastic bags of white powdered fentanyl, cutting agents, digital scales, a blender, containers, and playing cards bent in half—common tools of the drug trade.

The recovered fentanyl weighed in at just under 15 grams, a lethal quantity capable of fueling hundreds of overdoses. Jones admitted in court that he was actively dealing the synthetic opioid, one of the deadliest drugs coursing through Florida’s streets. The judge ordered forfeiture of the Glock and all associated ammunition as part of the sentencing.

Jones is no stranger to the criminal justice system. His rap sheet includes prior felony convictions for accessory after the fact to a first-degree felony, resisting an officer with violence, burglary, attempted burglary, and unlawful trespassing. His criminal pattern marked him as a target under federal enforcement efforts targeting repeat violent offenders.

The case was investigated by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John Gardella. Federal authorities emphasized the dual threat posed by armed drug traffickers and the lethal consequences of fentanyl flooding local communities.

This prosecution was part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce violent crime. PSN brings together federal, state, and local agencies to target the most dangerous offenders. By focusing on armed traffickers like Jones, the program aims to disrupt supply chains and prevent overdose deaths through aggressive enforcement and community partnerships.