Four men are facing federal charges after a University of South Florida student was found dead in his dorm room from an accidental fentanyl overdose, according to authorities.
Darius Gustafson, 20, Marquise Trant, 35, David Chudhabuddhi, 37, and Miguel Cintron, 36, were allegedly part of a “sophisticated” drug ring, U.S Attorney Roger Handberg announced Thursday.
Officials said the 18-year-old student, who has not been named, believed he was buying Percocet pills from Gustafson. The victim was found dead in February, and there were no other lethal drugs in his system.
Gustafson was supplied by Trant and Chudhabuddhi, and they got the drugs from Cintron, who is a documented gang member and three-time convicted felon, authorities said.
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Handberg said undercover purchases by Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office detectives were key to the investigation.
"In total, the undercover officers made three purchases, totaling more than 400 fentanyl pills from Gustafson," he said.
During a search on April 10, authorities found firearms, several rounds of ammunition, more than seven kilograms of cocaine, one kilogram of black tar heroin, one kilogram of heroin, 1,200 of pressed pills containing fentanyl and over $200,000 in cash at Cintron's home, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
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The four men were indicted by a federal grand jury within four months of the student's death. They are accused of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl resulting in death and additional counts of distributing fentanyl (over 40 grams).
Each faces 20 years to life in federal prison.
Cintron was also charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine (over 5 kilograms) and being a felon in possession of a firearm as the result of the April search.
“One pill can kill. Drug traffickers know that, and in my experience, they will not stop unless they are arrested and prosecuted,” Handberg said.
USF's public safety chief told NBC affiliate WFLA though the case is believed to be an isolated incident, the university is adding additional equipment and training to hopefully stop drugs from getting on campus in the first place.
