A federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment last week charging three Dover residents and one Middletown resident with conspiring to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl, along with various other drug and gun crimes. The amount of fentanyl seized from this organization represents the largest known fentanyl seizure in Delaware history.
According to the superseding indictment, Dwayne Fountain, 51, William Warren, 47, Martin Fountain, 47, and Durell Patton, 44, conspired to distribute drugs from January through May 2023. With respect to Dwayne Fountain, the conspiracy involved more than five kilograms of cocaine, more than 400 grams of fentanyl, and more than five hundred grams of methamphetamine. The superseding indictment also alleges that all four defendants possessed various drugs with intent to distribute. Finally, the superseding indictment charges Dwayne Fountain and Durell Patton with possessing guns on May 17, 2023, despite past criminal convictions which prohibit them from doing so.
According to documents filed in court, this case was the result of a long-term investigation spearheaded by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Delaware State Police, and Dover Police Department. Search warrants executed in the case led to the seizure of over 7.5 kilograms of fentanyl, 10 kilograms of powder cocaine, over a kilogram of crack cocaine, about 280 grams of methamphetamine, and 300 grams of xylazine, commonly referred to as “tranq,” an additive commonly mixed with fentanyl.
“The threat to public health and safety found in these cases is something that requires policing organizations to share information and resources, in order to protect the vulnerable,” noted Dover Police Chief Thomas A. Johnson, Jr. “It bears repeating that the amount of illicit drugs seized in this operation was enough to potentially kill close to 400,000 people, or, stated another way, roughly 4 in 10 Delawareans. It was great to be a part of such an effective collaboration between Local, State, and Federal law enforcement agencies.”
If convicted, Dwayne Fountain faces a mandatory minimum of ten years and a maximum of life in prison. William Warren faces a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum of forty years in prison. Martin Fountain and Durell Patton face a maximum of twenty years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
David C. Weiss, U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware, Thomas Hodnett, Special Agent in Charge for DEA’s Philadelphia Division, and Thomas A. Johnson, Jr., Chief, Dover Police Department made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer K. Welsh and Samuel Frey are prosecuting the case.
Read more at the Justice Department
