Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge William F. Jung has sentenced Marquis Lamar McCullough (39, Tampa) to imprisonment for life for distributing fentanyl, the use of which resulted in the deaths of two victims. On February 13, 2025, a federal jury found McCullough guilty of two counts of distribution of fentanyl, the use of which resulted in the death of a person, and one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. The court sentenced McCullough to life imprisonment for each count of distribution of fentanyl resulting in death, 30 years on the count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and ordered that the sentences be served consecutively to prison sentences McCullough is currently serving in the Florida Department of Corrections.
According to court records and the evidence presented at trial, on April 22, 2021, Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) deputies responded to the residence of K.K. to conduct a wellness check. They found K.K. dead when they entered his apartment and found two baggies with small quantities of fentanyl in the residence. Detectives reviewed K.K.’s cellphone and found communications with a woman who appeared to help K.K. purchase fentanyl the previous evening. During the investigation, detectives found the woman, who explained that K.K. could not get heroin from his usual source, so he asked her to buy some for him from her source. She arranged a meeting with McCullough, who was her supplier, and she purchased the fentanyl and provided it to K.K. The woman provided McCullough’s phone number to the detectives.
On May 6, 2021, the son of N.M. found his father dead, lying in his bed, and called 911 to report the death. HCSO deputies and detectives responded to the residence, and inside N.M.’s wallet they found a baggie with a small amount of fentanyl. While reviewing calls and texts on N.M.’s phone, a detective determined that the last three calls placed by N.M. were to McCullough’s phone number, and the call and text history indicated that McCullough was N.M.’s supplier. Later that day, detectives planned to purchase fentanyl from McCullough, using N.M.’s cellphone to set up the meeting. When McCullough arrived at the meet location, he tried to call N.M., but when his calls went unanswered, McCullough fled the area. An arrest team pursued his vehicle and apprehended McCullough.
The Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s Office investigated both deaths and determined that the use of fentanyl caused the deaths of K.K. and N.M.
Before he committed these offenses, McCullough had been convicted in Hillsborough County, Florida, for trafficking in cocaine, and he served a prison sentence of 60 months. He was also convicted in state court in 2022 for trafficking in fentanyl and aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, and he is currently serving a sentence of seven years in the Florida Department of Corrections for those crimes.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, and the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michael Sinacore and Ross Roberts.
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