Two Tampa men were sentenced for a University of South Florida student’s fentanyl death. Two other co-defendants pleaded guilty and were previously sentenced.
38-year-old Miguel Cintron, of Tampa, and 23-year-old Darrius Gustafson, of Tampa, were sentenced by U.S. District Judge John Badalamenti to life and 21 years and 10 months in federal prison, respectively, for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl resulting in death.
According to court documents, testimony, and evidence presented at trial, Cintron, Gustafson, and two co-defendants distributed a lethal amount of fentanyl that resulted in the death of Victim-1. At the time, Victim-1 was a freshman at USF. After Victim-1’s death, all four defendants continued to distribute fentanyl to undercover deputies and detectives from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
On April 10, 2024, all four were arrested and a search warrant was executed at Cintron’s residence. Law enforcement recovered more than seven kilograms of cocaine, heroin, black tar heroin, fentanyl, firearms, and more than $200,000 in cash from inside Cintron’s home.
Co-defendants David Chudhabuddhi and Marquis Trant previously entered guilty pleas and were sentenced on June 18, 2026. Chudhabuddhi was sentenced to eight years and one month in federal prison. Trant was sentenced to 12 years and 7 months in federal prison.
This Central Florida case was investigated by the University of South Florida Police Department, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Candace Garcia Rich. A federal jury found both guilty on May 4, 2026. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
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