Fentanyl trafficker linked to teen overdoses in Carrollton, Flower Mound sentenced
An admitted fentanyl trafficker who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute has been sentenced to more than eight years in federal prison, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Stephen Paul Brinson, 18, was sentenced Wednesday.
In his plea, Brinson admitted to dealing counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl out of a home in Flower Mound, according to the news release. He used an Instagram account to sell the round, blue pill imprinted with “M/30” to resemble legitimate 30 milligram oxycontin pills. U.S. District Judge Ed Kinkeade in the Northern District of Texas sentenced him to 100 months in prison.
The DOJ said Brinson supplied fentanyl to Donovan Jude Andrews, an accused Carrollton drug dealer who authorities said used the arrests of two other people to advertise his drug dealing business. Andrews has been charged with the fentanyl overdose of a 14-year-old girl.
When authorities searched Brinson’s home, they found 1,800 pills laced with fentanyl, the DOJ said. They also found cocaine, marijuana and two firearms.
During the search, Brinson said in his plea papers, he was armed and delivering illegal drugs to a customer in Flower Mound, according to the DOJ.
Brinson was the second person charged following juvenile overdoses in Carollton and Flower Mound to plead guilty, according to the news release. Megaly Cano, 29, pleaded guilty earlier this month and a total of nine people have been charged. Five of those people have pleaded guitly.
Research from the Drug Enforcement Agency found that about 60% of pills laced with fentanyl contain potentially lethal doses. The drugs, which can be made to look similar to prescription pills like Oxycontin or Percocet, go by names including “M30s,” “blues,” “perks,” “yerks,” “China girls” and “TNT,” the DOJ said. Even just one of these pills containing too much fentanyl can be fatal.
For resources, visit dea.gov/onepill.
This story was originally published August 23, 2023 at 7:08 PM.