Trumaine Lucky Muller, Fentanyl Dealing, FL 2024

Trumaine “Lucky” Muller, 34, of Orange Park, Florida, is locked away for life after being sentenced for dealing the fentanyl that killed an 18-year-old woman in a case that laid bare the deadly reach of the opioid crisis in North Florida.

U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard handed down the life sentence today in Jacksonville, holding Muller accountable for the November 9, 2016, distribution of a substance he sold as heroin—but was actually fentanyl—to Christopher Williams and Tyler Hamilton. That batch was passed to “A.B.,” a first-time opiate user, who snorted what she believed was a small dose. By 4:45 a.m. the next day, she was dead.

A federal jury convicted Muller on January 16, 2019, on charges including distribution of fentanyl resulting in death, multiple drug trafficking counts, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The verdict followed a tight investigation that peeled back Muller’s role in a dangerous black-market supply chain feeding addiction and death in Clay County.

The investigation intensified after the Clay County Sheriff’s Office conducted a controlled buy of heroin and furanylfentanyl from Muller on January 31, 2017. Eight days later, on February 8, a search warrant led to the discovery of more furanylfentanyl and a loaded revolver in an apartment where Muller had been staying—evidence that sealed his fate.

Christopher Williams and Tyler Hamilton, who directly gave the drug to A.B., previously pleaded guilty to manslaughter in state court, underscoring the legal web spun by one fatal transaction. Muller, however, as the source, faced federal charges carrying the harshest penalty.

“Families and communities have been ravaged by the opioid epidemic. I commend law enforcement and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their skillful investigation and prosecution of Trumaine Muller for the overdose death of A.B.,” said State Attorney Melissa Nelson. Clay County Sheriff Darryl Daniels added, “We appreciate the hard work of everyone involved in this. This is truly teamwork at its finest.” The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Tysen Duva.