DALLAS — An 18-year-old man has pleaded guilty to fentanyl trafficking charges, and admitted to dealing more than 1,000 pills in the North Texas area, according to officials with the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Officials announced on Tuesday that Stephen Paul Brinson, also known as "Steve-O," will be convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl following a guilty plea.
He was arrested back in March.
Officials said Brinson admitted to dealing fentanyl-laced pills out of a home in Flower Mound and using an Instagram account to do so. The drugs he sold, according to officials, were round, blue pills that were imprinted with "M/30" on them so they would resemble oxycodone pills.
Court documents revealed that Brinson also acted as the supplier to an alleged dealer in Carrollton named Donovan Jude Andrews, who was capitalizing on a market void opened up by the arrests of two other accused dealers, Luis Navarrete and Magaly Cano.
On May 16, Cano pleaded guilty to dealing fentanyl-laced pills to a person under 21 years old. She is awaiting sentencing.
According to the court documents, Andrews is allegedly tied to at least one fentanyl overdose involving a 14-year-old girl.
Authorities found around 1,800 fentanyl-laced pills, cocaine, marijuana and two firearms during a search of Brinson's home, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Brinson now faces up to 40 years in federal prison.
The 18-year-old was part of a fentanyl trafficking bust in the cities of Carrollton and Flower Mound. The cases involved a number of juvenile overdoses, some of which were deadly.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said there are still six other people, including Andrews and Navarette, who are awaiting trial on their drug trafficking charges.