Fentanyl Dealer In New Port Richey Sentenced To Life In Federal Prison

NEW PORT RICHEY, FL — A New Port Richey man will spend life in prison after being found guilty by a federal jury Nov. 16 of distributing fentanyl resulting in a death.

In U.S. District Court in Tampa, Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell sentenced Justin Kelly, 36, to concurrent terms of life in prison for conspiracy to distribute 40 grams of fentanyl resulting in a death and distribution of fentanyl resulting in death, and 15 years in prison for three counts of possession and distribution of fentanyl and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.

According to evidence presented at trial, Kelly was supplied fentanyl to drug users in Pasco County, using addicts to sell the drug for him. The enterprise earned him thousands of dollars in profits a day.

In the early hours of Nov. 18, 2020, an addict was found face down in his kitchen by his wife, while his stepchildren were asleep a few feet away. Detectives from the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office learned that a dealer named Steven Kinney had supplied the fentanyl. Kinney identified Kelly as his supplier.

Related: Fentanyl Overdose Death Leads To Conviction Of New Port Richey Man

Search warrants executed at Kelly’s motel room and a storage unit resulted in the seizures of additional fentanyl, cash, kilogram presses, digital scales and an M&P 15 rifle. Cell phone records corroborated that Kelly was the supplier of the fentanyl that Kinney had distributed to the addict before he died.

Kinney previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl. He was sentenced on Jan. 4 to four years and nine months in federal prison.

This operation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Tarpon Springs Police Department.

OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.