Julianne E. Murray, U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware, announced that on August 24, 2025, Dwayne Fountain, 54, of Middletown, was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, four counts of possession with intent to distribute, and two counts of distribution of controlled substances. Dwayne Fountain was convicted after a trial in March 2025. Chief U.S. District Judge Colm F. Connolly pronounced the sentence, finding that the defendant was a leader of a drug trafficking organization. The amount of fentanyl seized from this organization, over ten kilograms, represents the largest known fentanyl seizure in Delaware history.
This case was the result of a long-term investigation spearheaded by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Delaware State Police, and Dover Police Department. The evidence at trial showed that Dwayne Fountain bought kilograms of drugs from his suppliers and added ingredients like xylazine, also known as “tranq,” to make the drugs more potent and profitable. Agents found a kilogram press in a home he owned in Middletown, which was used to put the drugs back into “brick” form after they were adulterated. The defendant also rented an apartment in Bear, Delaware, where he stored his inventory of drugs. Search warrants executed in the case led to the seizure of over 10.5 kilograms of fentanyl, over 200 grams of 100% pure methamphetamine, over 3.5 kilograms of cocaine, and nearly 3 kilograms of heroin.
The government stressed at sentencing that the defendant knowingly placed the public in danger by mixing and selling drugs that frequently cause overdoses and deaths. On a recorded call, the defendant admitted that he knew the drugs he was selling could kill people stating, “They said it’s too strong, come on man… We all got some sh*t that can make a [person]die. For real, for real. You gotta know how to mix it right.” The defendant also stored his drugs in the same apartment where his teenaged son lived, and he coached his other son about how to manage a drug operation on wiretap calls…