TAMPA, Fla. (WWSB) – Two Tampa men were convicted in federal court of distributing fentanyl in a case connected to the death of a University of South Florida student.
A federal jury found Miguel Cintron, 38, and Darrius Gustafson, 22, guilty of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl resulting in death, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida. Each faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison and could be sentenced to life. Sentencing dates have not been set.
Prosecutors said trial testimony and evidence showed Cintron, Gustafson, David Chudhabuddhi and Marquis Trant distributed a lethal amount of fentanyl that resulted in the student’s death.
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Authorities arrested all four men on April 10, 2024. Investigators also executed a search warrant at Cintron’s home, where they recovered more than 7 kilograms of cocaine and fentanyl, along with more than $200,000 in cash, according to court records.
Prosecutors said the four continued distributing fentanyl after the student’s death, selling to undercover deputies and detectives with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
Chudhabuddhi and Trant previously pleaded guilty. Their sentencings are scheduled for June 18, 2026.
The case was investigated by the University of South Florida Police Department, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Candace Garcia Rich is prosecuting the case.
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