Two Fentanyl Traffickers Face 25 Years in Prison, Moody Says
August 16, 2022 Updated 1:30 P.M. ET
TALLAHASSEE (FLV) – Two illicit fentanyl traffickers will face 25-year prison sentences each, Attorney General Ashley Moody announced Monday.
Carlos Alberto Jiminez Rodriguez and Antonio Izquierdo were found guilty for trafficking fentanyl, a first-degree felony, and conspiracy to traffic in fentanyl, also a first-degree felony.
“If you traffic fentanyl in Florida, you will go to prison for a long time. This synthetic opioid is killing tens of thousands of people across our nation every year, and here in Florida, we will prosecute anyone caught trafficking this deadly substance in our state to the fullest extent of the law,” Moody said.
“I am proud of my prosecutors for ensuring the traffickers in this case will be locked away for a very long time.”
Law enforcement said they received a tip from an undercover officer with a lead on a drug dealer named Carlito. Carlito was later identified as Rodriquez.
Rodriguez sold heroin to the undercover officer and eventually introduced the officer to the supplier, as well as to another fentanyl dealer, Izquierdo. Rodriguez and Izquierdo both sold and delivered more than 28 grams of fentanyl.
Just two milligrams of fentanyl can be a fatal dose.
Attorney General Moody urged President Joe Biden to declare fentanyl a Weapon of Mass Destruction after two July mass overdose incidents in a week in Florida.
Fentanyl has become the leading cause of death among adults ages 18 to 45. Moody said in her letter that fentanyl claimed more young lives than COVID-19, cancer, car accidents, or suicide. The DeSantis Administration has said the southern border crisis is leading to an influx of illicit drugs into the country.
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill in May to crack down on the distribution of fentanyl and increase penalties for those dealing in Florida. The law goes into effect later this year.
“If you are dealing fentanyl, you are killing people and you are going to be put in jail,” DeSantis said.
