United States of America v. Gito St Fort; Anwar Hazzi; Samantha Yi; Darnell Julio Mendez

Miami, Florida criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendants charged with distributing fentanyl and meth

Four People Sentenced to Prison for Distributing Fentanyl

Four South Florida residents have been sentenced to federal prison for distributing fentanyl and meth.



On Jan. 16, Gito St Fort, 35, of West Palm Beach, Florida, a career criminal, was sentenced to 320 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to distribution of a controlled substance resulting in death. On Dec. 24, 2023, St Fort sold the victim the fentanyl which resulted in his death while the victim was visiting his parents.



On Jan. 15, Anwar Hazzi, 36, of Sunny Isles Beach, Florida, was sentenced to 200 months in federal prison. From June 2023 to May 2024, Hazzi sold drugs, including more than 900 grams of fentanyl and 500 grams of meth. The fentanyl was concealed within counterfeit prescription pills resembling oxycodone and the meth was concealed within counterfeit prescription pills resembling Adderall. In September 2024, Hazzi pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.



Also, on Jan. 15, Samantha Yi, 31, of Lake Worth, Florida, was sentenced to 288 months in federal prison. Yi and her then boyfriend, Darnell Julio Mendez, 32, of Lake Worth, sold fentanyl to the mother of a 10-month-old baby who fatally overdosed on the fentanyl in March 2022. Both defendants pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, distribution of fentanyl resulting in death, possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, and possession of firearms by a convicted felon. Mendez, a career criminal, was sentenced to 360 months in federal prison in October 2024.



U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Deanne L. Reuter of the DEA, Miami Field Division, announced the sentence.



The DEA Miami Field Division investigated the cases with assistance from PBSO, BBPD and the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam McMichael, Brian Ralston and Shannon O'Shea Darsch prosecuted the cases.



According to the DEA's National Drug Threat Assessment, nitazenes are synthetic opioids, like fentanyl, but some nitazenes can match or surpass the potency of fentanyl. Different nitazenes have been appearing in fentanyl mixtures in the United States since 2019. When combined with fentanyl, the effects of both drugs are heightened, which significantly increases the chance of a fatal drug poisoning.



Synthetic drugs such as fentanyl are poisoning the nation. Fentanyl has proven to be a deadly poison that does not discriminate. Its victims include every gender, race, age, and economic background, and its debilitating effects are the same across all demographics. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. Even in small doses, fentanyl can be deadly. Just one fentanyl pill can kill, as noted in DEA's One Pill Can Kill campaign. As little as two milligrams, about the size of 5 grains of salt, can be fatal. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), fentanyl and other synthetic opioids are the most common drugs involved in overdose deaths. Over 150 people die every day from overdoses related to synthetic opioids like fentanyl. The State of Florida has also seen an exponential increase in overdoses associated with fentanyl. In 2022, more than 5,622 people died from overdoses involving fentanyl and fentanyl analogs in Florida.