Source: Office of United States Attorneys
Tampa, FL – U.S. District Court Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Brendan Wells (29, Tampa) to 29 years and 5 months in federal prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, one count of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Wells pleaded guilty on November 18, 2024.
According to court documents, on February 14, 2023, law enforcement searched a storage unit that Wells, along with his co-conspirator, Emmanuel Dourthe, used to store narcotics they were selling and intending to sell. Inside the storage unit, law enforcement located 408 grams of methamphetamine, 399.7 grams of fentanyl, and 27.7 grams of cocaine. In addition, numerous bottles and baggies with various powders suspected to be cutting agents, as well as mixing tools, were found. Law enforcement also located a Smith & Wesson M&P semiautomatic rifle along with numerous gun cases, magazines, and ammunition. Earlier that day, law enforcement had recovered a backpack belonging to Wells, a search of which revealed what the DEA laboratory would later confirm to be 143.98 grams of methamphetamine.
Both Wells and Dourthe are previously convicted felons and prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.
Dourthe pled guilty to the same charges and was previously sentenced to 20 years in federal prison.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco and Explosives, and the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Samantha Newman. The forfeiture is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Suzanne Nebesky.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.