Jason R. Coody, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida
Dion’te Wingate, a 24-year-old from Crestview, Florida, has been sentenced to over 13 years in prison for trafficking methamphetamine and fentanyl. This follows his guilty plea to charges of possessing large quantities of the drugs with intent to distribute. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office first searched Wingate on December 14, 2023, finding him in possession of methamphetamine and fentanyl while in a vehicle with a wanted felon. A subsequent encounter occurred on June 19, 2024, when he was found sleeping in a car that smelled strongly of marijuana outside a bar in Destin. Upon arrest on a state warrant, authorities discovered he had discarded a bag of fentanyl powder near his vehicle.
U.S. Attorney Heekin commented on the case stating: “This defendant has flooded our communities with deadly poison that inflicted untold harm and destruction, but thanks to the incredible work of the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office he will spend his days in a federal prison cell.” He added that his office would continue working with law enforcement partners to prosecute drug traffickers.
Sheriff Eric Aden of the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office remarked on the collaboration between local and federal agencies: “Fentanyl and methamphetamine are poisoning our communities at an alarming rate... teamwork can help get dangerous individuals and the poison they peddle off our streets.”
DEA Miami Field Division Special Agent Deanne L. Reuter emphasized the commitment to justice: “People who peddle these deadly substances have zero regard for other lives... our agents will not stop until these traffickers are brought to justice.”
The investigation involved both local law enforcement and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), leading to Wingate's prosecution by Assistant United States Attorney Walter Narramore.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, which aims to combat illegal immigration and dismantle cartels and transnational criminal organizations through coordinated efforts by various task forces under the Department of Justice.
