ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – A St. Petersburg man is heading to federal prison for over 16 years after selling large amounts of methamphetamine and fentanyl to an undercover source.
U.S. District Judge John Badalamenti handed down a 16-year and six-month sentence to 35-year-old Ben Gordon. The sentencing was announced Thursday by United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe. This comes after Gordon officially pleaded guilty on February 22 to charges of possession with intent to distribute the drugs.
Court records detail how the Drug Enforcement Administration caught Gordon through two separate sting operations in the fall of 2023. Task force officers used a confidential source to arrange the drug buys. During the first meetup on September 6, 2023, Gordon sold the source a full pound of methamphetamine along with roughly 27 grams of fentanyl.
Less than two months later, on November 3, the DEA used the exact same confidential source to set up a second deal. Gordon showed up with another pound of meth and about 56 grams of fentanyl. Officers moved in and arrested him following that second transaction…