Florida Man Gets Life for Fentanyl Distribution, Sex Trafficking

TAMPA, Fla. — Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Tampa assisted the Drug Enforcement Administration in Tampa during an investigation that has led to a life sentence for a Florida man who distributed fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine and crack cocaine, causing bodily harm.

Joseph Marion, 41, of St. Petersburg, has been sentenced to life in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute narcotics; distributing fentanyl; distributing a mixture of fentanyl and heroin that resulted in serious bodily injury; and possessing fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine and crack cocaine with the intent to distribute. As part of his sentence, the court also ordered Marion to forfeit $13,190, which represented proceeds from his criminal conduct and was recovered from his pocket at the time of his arrest.

“This life sentence demonstrates the lengths to which HSI and our partners will go to dismantle criminal networks who seek to distribute fentanyl and engage in human trafficking in our communities,” said HSI Tampa Assistant Special Agent in Charge Kristopher Pagitt. “Alongside our law enforcement partners with DEA Tampa, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, the St. Petersburg Police Department and the Clearwater Police Department, we were able to stop this relentless assault on public health and human dignity and deliver justice for the countless victims affected by Marion’s actions.”

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial and sentencing, Marion imported fentanyl and fentanyl analogues from China via the U.S. mail. Marion blended and packaged the fentanyl himself and then sold fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine and crack cocaine to multiple street dealers, each of whom further distributed those drugs to users. During the trial, one of the street dealers testified that she bought 40 to 100 bags of fentanyl from Marion each day, every day, for several years. Marion sold between 7.1 and 17.8 kilograms of fentanyl, enough to kill over 70,000 people, to just this one street dealer.

In November 2019, a woman who was with Marion in his apartment snorted Marion’s fentanyl, thinking it was heroin, and nearly died. Paramedics arrived at the apartment and saved her life, though she was hospitalized for days afterward.

In addition to importing and selling drugs, Marion also trafficked women for sex. He often recruited women who were addicted to his drugs and then advertised and “managed” them as prostitutes.

This case was investigated by DEA Tampa, HSI, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, the St. Petersburg Police Department and the Clearwater Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael M. Gordon.