Port St. Lucie - Friday March 8, 2024: 32-year-old Edwin Thompson has been sentenced to 15-years in prison after pleading guilty to charges of Manslaughter, Sale and Delivery of Fentanyl, Possession of Fentanyl, and Unlawful Use of a Two-way Communication Device.
Thompson was arrested by Port St. Lucie Police Department Special Investigations Division detectives last year, in October 2023, on several felony charges in relation to the overdose death of 34-year-old Michael McGaffin.
McGaffin was found dead in his car by his brother. He died from an overdose of fentanyl. On McGaffin's cell phone detectives found text messages from Thompson arranging for the sale of fentanyl to McGaffin. The investigation revealed that Thompson ended up selling McGaffin fentanyl for $20 which was paid for using Cash App.
This was one of the first successful prosecutions on the Treasure Coast of a defendant charged in a fentanyl overdose death, and the first such case for the Port St. Lucie Police Department.
Chief Richard Del Toro said, “The successful conclusion of this investigation was due to the relentless follow-up of the detectives involved who did so on behalf of the victim’s family. The Port St. Lucie Police Department will continue to pursue these types of investigations in an effort to combat the proliferation of fentanyl.”
In 2017 Florida passed a law allowing for law enforcement to file first-degree murder charges against anyone who sells a fatal dose of fentanyl.