Samantha Yi, Fentanyl Conspiracy, Florida 2024
South Florida Couple Arrested for Fentanyl Conspiracy and Distribution Resulting in Death
A pair of Lake Worth residents, Samantha Yi, 32, and Darnell Mendez, 31, have been arrested and charged with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, and distribution resulting in death, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida.
The arrests were the result of a long-term joint investigation by the Boynton Beach Police Department, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, and the Drug Enforcement Administration after the death of a 10-month-old infant in Boynton Beach who ingested fentanyl.
According to allegations in the criminal complaint, on March 31, 2022, PBSO responded to a 911 call of an infant in distress. The infant was transported to Bethesda Hospital East in Boynton Beach, Florida with her mother. On April 1, 2022, the baby was transferred to Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood, Florida. On April 5, 2022, the baby died. An autopsy conducted by the Palm Beach County Medical Examiner determined that the baby’s death was caused by fentanyl intoxication and that her manner of death was homicide.
The investigation determined that the baby’s mother and father were addicts and had been abusing fentanyl regularly in the kitchen of their apartment. The investigation also determined that the baby was teething and ingested fentanyl on March 31, 2022, while in the care of her mother, and while her father was at work. The mother was arrested by the BBPD and charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child by culpable negligence.
DEA joined the investigation to identify the drug dealers that were responsible for the distribution of the fentanyl that killed the baby. Through data and information retrieved from the mother’s cellphone, law enforcement was able to identify Samantha Yi as the drug dealer. The investigation uncovered months of electronic communications exchanged between Yi and the mother involving drug transactions in which the mother was the customer. The investigation further determined that Yi’s boyfriend, Darnell Mendez, was also involved in the distribution of fentanyl.
As part of the joint investigation, DEA, the BBPD, and PBSO conducted an operation involving two undercover officers who purchased fentanyl from Yi and Mendez. The undercover operation culminated in the arrests of Yi and Mendez on March 6, 2024, at their residence in Lake Worth, Florida.
Defendant Information:
- Defendant: Samantha Yi
- Criminal Charges: Conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, distribution resulting in death
- City and State: Lake Worth, Florida
- Arrest Date: March 6, 2024
- Sentence: Mandatory minimum prison sentence of 20 years to a maximum sentence of life
Detention hearings are scheduled for Yi on March 12 and Mendez on March 14, respectively. The arraignment and preliminary hearings are scheduled for March 21.
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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