A Brevard County man will spend over 11 years in federal prison for his role in selling fentanyl to different people, including one who died from an overdose.
Deonte Lee Barger, of Rockledge, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Anne Conway on Friday to spend 11 years and 8 months in federal prison for distribution of fentanyl. Barber pled guilty in federal court on February 3, 2022.
According to court records, in total, Barber was charged with distributing over 167 grams of fentanyl, including a series of controlled purchases made by a confidential source on behalf of the Drug Enforcement Administration.
During their investigation, DEA agents learned that Barber had supplied fentanyl to an individual on November 4, 2021. That man was eventually found deceased by his mother from an overdose.
While responding to the overdose call by the mother, authorities discovered a plastic pen with burnt residue on it and a pink plastic baggie with a brown powdery substance that was later determined to be fentanyl.
According to the Brevard County Associate Medical Examiner, the individual died of an overdose in connection with his ingestion of fentanyl. A blood analysis revealed that the man had more than double the lethal amount in his system.
Through text messages and exhibits, law enforcement authorities established that Barber had sold the individual the fentanyl and had delivered it to his mother’s home just hours before he was found dead.
After the man’s death became known to the public, Barber notified and warned other customers of the drug’s potency.
On December 2, 2021, DEA agents executed a search warrant at Barber’s storage unit and found drugs, scales, and a large number of pink baggies that were identical to the one that was found next to the deceased man’s body.
At the end of the sentencing hearing for Barber, the judge determined that the distribution of fentanyl had caused the death of the individual and granted an enhanced sentence for Barber.