South Florida drug dealer whose fentanyl killed infant gets 30 years in prison

A South Florida drug dealer who distributed the fentanyl that led to the overdose death of an infant in 2022 has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison.

Darnell Mendez, 36, was given the sentence on Tuesday, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida.

In addition to the 30-year sentence, he'll have five years of supervised release.

Mendez and his girlfriend, Samantha Yi, had previously pled guilty in the case. Yi is facing at least 20 years in prison at her sentencing, scheduled for Jan. 9.

Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office deputies had responded to a 911 call of an infant in distress on March 31, 2022, and found a 10-month-old who'd ingested fentanyl.

The infant was taken to a hospital in Boynton Beach, then transferred to Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital in Hollywood, where she died on April 5, 2022.

An autopsy from the medical examiner determined the baby's death was caused by fentanyl intoxication and it was ruled a homicide.

Investigators determined the baby's parents were drug addicts who had been abusing fentanyl regularly in their apartment, and when the apartment was searched fentanyl was found, authorities said.

It was also learned that the baby was teething and had ingested the fentanyl while in the care of her mother and while her father was at work.

The mother was arrested and charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child by culpable negligence.

The Drug Enforcement Administration joined the investigation as authorities worked to identify the dealers who sold the fentanyl that killed the baby.

Investigators identified Yi as the dealer and found months of electronic communications exchanged between Yi and the mother involving drug transactions, authorities said.

It was discovered that the mother had purchased fentanyl from Yi on March 30, the day before the baby ingested the deadly drug, authorities said.

Yi’s boyfriend, Mendez, was also found to be involved in the distribution of fentanyl, officials said.

Authorities conducted an undercover operation to purchase fentanyl from Yi and Mendez, which led to their arrests at their home in Lake Worth back in March.

Yi and Mendez, who are both convicted felons, had 14 firearms in their home at the time of their arrests, officials said.

Mendez has a history of controlled substance and violent crime offenses and may qualify as a career criminal, authorities said.