Detectives with the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office uncovered a significant fentanyl operation last week after serving a search warrant at a Spring Hill home tied to ongoing narcotics sales.
Early on the morning of November 20, members of the Vice and Narcotics Unit, backed by the Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team, searched a residence on Coronet Court following an investigation that pointed to large amounts of fentanyl being sold from the property. Investigators identified 54-year-old Mark Andrew Hartwell as the main supplier. Hartwell is well known to law enforcement and has 18 prior felony convictions.
When deputies entered the home, six people were detained. Detectives found 36.1 grams of fentanyl, 7.6 grams of methamphetamine, more than 32 grams of marijuana, various illegal pills, drug paraphernalia, and evidence that someone tried to dump fentanyl into a bathtub to destroy it during the raid.
Hartwell faces a long list of charges, including three counts of fentanyl trafficking, possession with intent to sell, methamphetamine possession, sale of methamphetamine, operating a structure for drug trafficking, and unlawful use of a communication device. He was held without bond because he is documented as being associated with the Aryan Brotherhood.
Five others were also arrested on various drug-related charges:
- Victoria Vainisi, 35 – fentanyl possession, meth possession, and paraphernalia
- Stephanie Malone, 35 – fentanyl possession, meth possession, paraphernalia, and a violation of probation warrant
- Nicholas Petrisin, 43 – fentanyl possession, meth possession, and paraphernalia
- Randall Jessie, 32 – fentanyl possession and paraphernalia
- Christopher Hope, 40 – fentanyl possession and paraphernalia
All were issued bonds based on state guidelines, except Malone, who was held on a probation violation, and Hartwell, who remains jailed without bond.
Sheriff Al Nienhuis said the operation highlights his agency’s commitment to removing dangerous drugs from local neighborhoods. He noted that fentanyl remains one of the most lethal substances circulating in the region, and that proactive enforcement remains a top priority for his office.
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