Drug Delivery Resulting In Death

The after-school specials that were the bread and butter of aspiring actors and television producers in the 1980s and an inexhaustible source of stoner entertainment in the 1990s and beyond draw a short and direct line between first experimentation with illicit drugs and an early and painful death.  In real life, the path is less direct, and it often involves a series of draconian punishments that punctuate the Florida Shuffle.  An arrest for drug possession is not inevitably the first domino to fall in a downward spiral of desperation.  If you get charged with drug possession for the first time, you might be able to get the case dismissed by participating in a pretrial diversion program that involves substance abuse disorder treatment and then remain sober for the rest of your life.  Prison sentences are more likely to result if the charges are for drug distribution, drug trafficking conspiracy, or some other charge that involves endangering others besides oneself.  The worst drug charge you can get is drug delivery resulting in death, but even with that charge, there are a range of outcomes.  If you are facing charges for drug delivery resulting in death, contact a West Palm Beach drug offenses lawyer.

Palm Beach County Man Gets Prison Sentence for Selling Fatal Dose of Fentanyl

In 2023, a young man who had struggled with drug addiction for several years traveled to spend the Christmas holiday with his parents.  On Christmas morning, he called an Uber to pick him up from his parents’ house in Palm Beach and drop him off at Gito St. Fort’s apartment in another part of Palm Beach County.  There, the man bought pill capsules and returned home.  Later that day, his parents found him unresponsive and called 911; the man was pronounced dead a short time later.  The pills in the man’s possession tested positive for cocaine and fentanyl.

Investigators traced the drugs to St. Fort and arrested him on charges of drug delivery resulting in death.  This charge carries a minimum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.  This is what people mean when they say that it is possible to get a life sentence for drug crimes.  St. Fort pleaded guilty to the charges and received a 320-month sentence, which is just over 27 years.  The court handed down his sentence in January 2025.  Since February 2024, Florida courts have issued indictments for five defendants accused of drug delivery resulting in death.  Three of those cases involved incidents in Palm Beach County.  In one of the cases, a ten-month-old baby died after accidentally ingesting fentanyl powder that the two defendants in Lake Worth had sold to her mother earlier that day.

Contact a West Palm Beach Criminal Defense Lawyer Today

Attorney William Wallshein has more than 41 years of experience, including five years as a prosecutor in Palm Beach County.  Contact William Wallshein P.A. in West Palm Beach, Florida to discuss your case.

Source:

local10.com/news/local/2025/01/22/man-sentenced-to-over-2-decades-in-prison-over-deadly-drugs-in-south-florida/

justice.gov/usao-sdfl/pr/february-2024-one-defendant-pled-guilty-and-five-others-have-been-charged-distributing#:~:text=Pursuant%20to%20Title%2021%2C%20United,a%20maximum%20sentence%20of%20life.