Indian River County drug dealer sentenced to federal prison

MIAMI – On Feb. 15, an Indian River County man was sentenced to 72 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release for drug trafficking. The sentence comes after he previously pleaded guilty to distribution of fentanyl.

On April 19, 2023, Juan Carlos Sanchez Echevarria, 34, of Indian River County, Florida, sold 55 grams of fentanyl in Fellsmere, Florida.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Deanne L. Reuter of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Miami Field Division and Sheriff Eric Flowers of the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office (IRCSO), announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon. 

DEA Miami Field Division and IRCSO investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Porter prosecuted it. 

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. 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. For more information visit https://www.cdc.gov/opioids/basics/fentanyl.html# and https://www.dea.gov/factsheets/fentanyl.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 23-cr-14035.

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