TAMPA — Federal agents arrested five members of a Dade City fentanyl trafficking organization on drug conspiracy charges after a multi-agency investigation led by the Homeland Security Task Force, United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announced.
The indictment, unsealed this week, names Aaron McKinney, 38, of Dade City as the organization’s lead trafficker. McKinney faces a maximum sentence of life in federal prison on charges of drug trafficking conspiracy, four counts of distribution of fentanyl, and distribution of cocaine and fentanyl. According to court records, McKinney trafficked more than 400 grams of fentanyl, along with cocaine, through the organization’s operations in Dade City.
Four co-defendants are charged alongside McKinney. Derrick Harrison, 53, of Dade City and his son Derrick Harrison II, 35, of Zephyrhills each face a maximum of 40 years in federal prison on charges of drug trafficking conspiracy and distribution of fentanyl. Derrick Gentles, 41, of Dade City and Michael Taylor, 34, of Dade City each face a maximum of 20 years on conspiracy charges. Taylor also faces a distribution count involving cocaine and fentanyl. According to the indictment, all four assisted McKinney in running the trafficking operation.
The case was investigated by the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, and the Zephyrhills Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Buchanan is prosecuting the case.
The investigation falls under the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established by Executive Order 14159, “Protecting the American People Against Invasion.” HSTF Region 20, based in Tampa, comprises agents and officers from multiple law enforcement agencies and is focused on eliminating criminal organizations fueling violence within U.S. borders, with prosecution led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.
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. The defendants are expected to appear in federal court in Tampa for further proceedings.