Polk County Man Arrested For Fentanyl Overdose Death

Tampa, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the arrest of Kenneth Bernard Graham (67, Lakeland) on an indictment charging him with distributing fentanyl resulting in death. If convicted, Graham faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 20 years, up to life, in federal prison.

According to the indictment, on September 10, 2022, Graham distributed a substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl to an individual who died after ingesting it. Two days later, Graham possessed fentanyl with the intent to distribute it.  

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case was investigated by the Lakeland Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Pardo.