Florida Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Selling Dangerous Synthetic Drugs, Including Fentanyl and Metonitazene

Florida Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Selling Dangerous Synthetic Drugs, Including Fentanyl and Metonitazene

On December 10, 2024, Blake Alfonso Kolessa, 27, of Greenacres, Florida, was sentenced to 180 months (15 years) in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. U.S. District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks handed down the sentence after Kolessa pleaded guilty to possessing with intent to distribute metonitazene, N-desethyl isotonitazene, and methamphetamine.

Kolessa admitted to selling thousands of pressed pills containing these dangerous synthetic opioids between January and June 2024. Additionally, he confessed to possessing over six kilograms of various powders and pills, including fentanyl, protonitazene, and N-pyrrolidino protonitazene.

The investigation into Kolessa’s drug trafficking activities was conducted by the DEA’s West Palm Beach office in collaboration with the West Palm Beach Police Department. U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and DEA Special Agent in Charge Deanne Reuter were involved in the case.

Nitazenes, like fentanyl, are highly potent synthetic opioids. When mixed with fentanyl, the effects of both drugs are intensified, greatly increasing the risk of fatal overdose. According to the DEA’s National Drug Threat Assessment, nitazenes have become increasingly common in fentanyl mixtures across the U.S. since 2019.

Fentanyl and other synthetic opioids have contributed to the rising overdose death toll across the nation, with over 150 daily deaths attributed to these substances, including more than 5,600 fentanyl-related deaths in Florida alone in 2022.

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