FORT PIERCE, Fla. — A 27-year-old Vero Beach man has pleaded guilty in federal court in Fort Pierce in the distribution of fentanyl resulting in death.
Keyon Lewis was charged with the distribution of the synthetic opioid resulting in death and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl on July 13.
As part of the plea documents filed with the court, Lewis admitted that on Nov. 5, 2021, he sold fentanyl to a man in a parking lot in Vero Beach. The next day, the man’s wife found him dead on the kitchen floor of their residence.
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Officers used the victim’s cellphone to order more fentanyl from Lewis, who was unaware that he was communicating directly with law enforcement.
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On Nov. 7, 2021, Indian River County officers arrested Lewis at the victim’s residence.
Lewis’ sentencing is scheduled for May 21 before U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon in Fort Pierce. Lewis faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 20 years and a maximum penalty of life in prison.
As little as 2 milligrams of fentanyl, about the size of 5 grains of salt, can be fatal.
Nearly 71,000 drug overdose deaths involved synthetic opioids other than methadone in 2021, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In 2020, more than 6,150 people died from overdoses involving fentanyl and fentanyl analogs in Florida, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.