TAMPA, Fla. – A federal jury found Joel David Fonseca Flores (42) guilty of conspiring to distribute fentanyl resulting in death, according to an announcement by United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg on Tuesday.
Flores faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 20 years to life in federal prison. Sentencing is scheduled for October 7, 2024.
Fonseca Flores and his co-conspirator, Misty Lynn Parady, were indicted in August 2023. According to court documents, between April 2020 and April 2022, they distributed counterfeit oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl to the victim, identified only by the initials N.K. N.K. believed the pills to be oxycodone at first.
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This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Orlando Police Department Overdose Unit.
It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kara M. Wick and Stephanie McNeff.
Fentanyl Facts: Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50-100 times more potent than morphine. It is a major contributor to the ongoing opioid crisis in the United States. Fentanyl is often mixed with other drugs without the user’s knowledge, increasing the risk of overdose and death.
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