A husband and wife fentanyl-trafficking team was sentenced to nearly a combined century behind bars for their part in dealing the drug on the Gulf Coast.
Attorney General James Uthmeier announced this week that Renee and Vincent Stephens are going to prison for decades after being convicted of the trafficking charges in Hillsborough County.
“This couple was not only profiting from pushing poison into our communities, but they were also doing it in the presence of a young, vulnerable child,” Uthmeier said in a news release. “These drug traffickers have proven multiple times that they have no regard for the law. I am grateful to Assistant Statewide Prosecutors Luis Aguila and Gianna Fina for ensuring they will spend a very long time behind bars.”
Vincent Stephens was already behind bars in the Fall of 2023 for a previous conviction, serving 20 years in prison for trafficking and firearms charges. Uthmeier’s Office said he contacted his wife and another inmate and began to direct fentanyl trafficking operations while he was still behind bars using Facebook messages.
Renee Stephens helped sell the drug from her apartment. Investigators say her young child was present at the residence as she conducted drug deals. A confidential information tipped off investigators with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) about the drug trafficking activity.
The tip led FDLE investigators to find that Vincent Stephens was coordinating the drug deals. Undercover FDLE operatives then arranged three controlled purchases of fentanyl from Renee Stephens in December 2023.
A search warrant was executed at Renee Stephens’ apartment by the FDLE and investigators found the fentanyl along with drug paraphernalia, such as scales to measure the drug.
In January, she was convicted of conspiracy to traffic more than 28 grams of fentanyl, two counts of trafficking 4 grams to 14 grams of fentanyl, three counts of unlawful use of a two-way communication device, three counts of trafficking in fentanyl, and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia. She drew a 60-year prison sentence this week.
Her husband was convicted of conspiracy to traffic in more than 28 grams of fentanyl and was sentenced to 30 years in prison to be served consecutively on top of the prison time he was already serving.
