Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the unsealing of two indictments charging six individuals, including a federal inmate and a Cuban national, with fentanyl trafficking conspiracies and related charges. If convicted of all counts, each faces a minimum penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. See chart below for details.
Name
(Age, City of Residence)
Charges
Theophilus Santroy Williams (43, Tampa) Conspiracy and distribution of 400 grams or more of fentanyl Maurice Labrone Copeland
(43, Tampa)
Conspiracy and distribution of 400 grams or more of fentanyl Edward Verdi-Bruno
(33, FCI Coleman)
Conspiracy and distribution of 400 grams or more of fentanyl, attempted distribution of 400 grams or more of fentanyl Daniel Dayan Hernandez-Hernandez (34, Cuba) Conspiracy and distribution of 400 grams or more of fentanyl Roshard Dawayne Lewis
(41, Port Richey)
Conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, distribution of fentanyl Journey Lynn Harding
(24, Tampa)
Conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, distribution of fentanyl According to the indictments, the defendants conspired with one another to distribute fentanyl on various occasions within the Middle District of Florida.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case consisted of a joint investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Tampa Police Department, and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jeff Chang and Samantha Newman.
This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Region 20 (Tampa) comprises agents and officers from multiple law enforcement agencies with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Middle District of Florida — U.S. Department of Justice press release.