Homeland Security Task Force Arrests Members of Dade City Fentanyl Trafficking Organization on Federal Drug Charges

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the unsealing of an indictment charging five individuals with federal drug offenses including conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, including fentanyl. Name Age, Residence Charges Aaron McKinney 38, Dade City Drug trafficking conspiracy Distribution of fentanyl (4 counts) Distribution of cocaine and fentanyl Derrick Harrison 53, Dade City Drug trafficking conspiracy Distribution of fentanyl Derrick Harrison II 35, Zephyrhills Drug trafficking conspiracy Distribution of fentanyl Derrick Gentles 41, Dade City Drug trafficking conspiracy Michael Taylor 34, Dade City Drug trafficking conspiracy Distribution of cocaine and fentanyl If convicted, McKinney faces a maximum sentence of life in federal prison. Harrison and Harrison II each face a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison. Gentles and Taylor face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. According to the indictment and other court records, McKinney sold fentanyl and other controlled substances in Dade City. The others assisted McKinney with his drug trafficking business. Through this drug trafficking organization, McKinney trafficked more than 400 grams of fentanyl, along with cocaine. An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, and the Zephyrhills Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Buchanan. This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Region 20 (Tampa) comprises agents and officers from multiple law enforcement agencies with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.