Desmond Valentine, a 32-year-old from Indianapolis, has been sentenced to 190 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to fentanyl distribution and illegal firearm possession. According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Indiana, after his prison term, Valentine will also face three years of supervised release.

Valentine's conviction stems from an April 2022 arrest by the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police, during which he was found with 7.31 grams of a fentanyl-heroin mixture and a Glock handgun. A search of his home revealed drug trafficking tools, including scales and blending equipment, indicating an active operation since the previous summer. Authorities determined he had distributed over 400 grams of fentanyl, a substance the DEA warns can be fatal in as little as two milligrams.

Valentine's sentence was handed down by Chief U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt, with the prosecution led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Samantha G. Spiro. Due to prior felony convictions for aggravated battery and robbery, Valentine was legally prohibited from possessing a firearm. However, his arrest with a gun highlights the dangerous link between drug dealing and violent crime.

"This violent felon was pumping deadly fentanyl and heroin into our community—all while illegally armed," U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Myers stated on the same press release by the U.S. Attorney's Office, commending the cooperative efforts between the DEA, the IMPD, and federal prosecutors that led to Valentine's arrest and conviction.