Drug dealer whose fentanyl killed baby gets 30 years in prison – NBC 6 South Florida

A South Florida drug dealer who distributed fentanyl leading to the infant’s overdose death in 2022, was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison.

Darnell Mendez, 36, was sentenced Tuesday, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.

In addition to the 30 years in prison, he will have five years of supervised release.

Mendez and his girlfriend, Samantha Yee, previously pleaded guilty in the case. She faces at least 20 years in prison at a sentencing scheduled for January 9.

On March 31, 2022, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office officials responded to a 911 call about an infant in distress and found a 10-month-old child who had ingested fentanyl.

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

The medical examiner determined that the child’s death was caused by fentanyl poisoning, and it was ruled a homicide.

Investigators determined the child’s parents were drug addicts who regularly abused fentanyl in their apartment, and a search of the apartment turned up fentanyl, authorities said.

It also became known that the child was teething and had taken fentanyl while her mother was caring for her and her father was at work.

The mother was arrested and charged with aggravated manslaughter by negligence.

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

Investigators identified Yee as a dealer and found months of electronic communications between Yee and his mother involving drug transactions, authorities said.

It turns out the mother bought fentanyl from I on March 30, the day before the child ingested the deadly drug, authorities said.

Y’s boyfriend, Mendez, was also involved in the distribution of fentanyl, officials said.

Authorities conducted an undercover operation to buy fentanyl from Yee and Mendez, which led to their arrest at their Lake Worth home back in March.

Yi and Mendez, both convicted felons, had 14 firearms at home at the time of their arrest, officials said.

Mendez has a history of crimes involving controlled substances and crimes of violence and may qualify as a career criminal, authorities said.