Florida Man Avoids Life Sentence in Case Involving Drug Delivery Resulting in Death
When people advocate for tougher penalties for drug crimes, they are usually doing it to get votes or to sublimate their violent fantasies. They seem to think that the only way to prevent drug crimes is through intimidation. Meanwhile, others advocate for resources to help people who have previously abused drugs stay sober or for more community support in general, to make people less vulnerable to the promises of escape or relief that drugs and the media images of the drug-dealing outlaw offer. Lawmakers seem to agree that the consequences of drug possession, in which one puts one’s own safety at risk, should not be the same as drug crimes that involve endangering others. Regardless of whether drugs are involved, the criminal penalties are more severe when death or injury occurs, compared to when a defendant merely puts others at risk but no one gets hurt. Therefore, the penalties are worse for drug trafficking than for drug possession, but the worst drug charge you can get is drug delivery resulting in death. Recently, authorities have been keen to file charges for drug delivery resulting in death when the drugs that caused a fatal overdose can be traced to a particular person, although Good Samaritan laws protect you from prosecution for drug crimes if you call 911 to get medical assistance for someone suffering from an overdose. If you are facing criminal charges related to someone else’s drug overdose, contact a Florida drug offenses attorney.
Drug Delivery Resulting in Death Cases in Florida
In 2024, five Florida defendants received indictments for drug delivery resulting in death. In one of the cases, two women suffered fatal overdoses after buying drugs from the same defendant, and in another, a ten-month-old infant died after ingesting fentanyl that her mother had bought from the defendants and left unattended.
One of the defendants to receive such an indictment received a 27-year prison sentence this month after pleading guilty to drug delivery resulting in death. Gito St. Fort of West Palm Beach sold drugs on Christmas Day in 2023. The buyer was a man who was visiting his parents in Palm Beach and traveled by rideshare car to St. Fort’s apartment and bought several pill capsules full of illegal drugs. When the man overdosed at his parents’ house later that day, police seized the remaining pills and found that they contained cocaine and fentanyl, which was consistent with the toxicology results of the autopsy.
The minimum sentence for drug delivery resulting in death is 20 years, and the maximum is life in prison. News reports did not include details about St. Fort’s guilty plea or whether he has a prior criminal record. He may become eligible for parole before serving his entire sentence.
Contact FL Drug Defense Group About Drug Cases
A Central Florida criminal defense lawyer can help you if you are a defendant in a drug case that is connected to a fatal overdose. Contact FL Drug Defense Group in Orlando, Florida to discuss your case.
Sources:
local10.com/news/local/2025/01/22/man-sentenced-to-over-2-decades-in-prison-over-deadly-drugs-in-south-florida/
justice.gov/usao-sdfl/pr/february-2024-one-defendant-pled-guilty-and-five-others-have-been-charged-distributing#:~:text=Pursuant%20to%20Title%2021%2C%20United,a%20maximum%20sentence%20of%20life.
