United States Drug Enforcement Administration

Tampa, Fla. – Eric Turner (30, Georgia) and Jose Smith (29, Valrico) have been charged in a federal indictment with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin. If convicted, Turner and Smith each face a minimum of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, Eric Turner and Jose Smith have been operating a drug-trafficking organization since at least 2024, starting with distributing illicit pills to eventually trafficking kilogram-quantities of heroin through the Darknet. Digital evidence, postal records, surveillance, drug seizures, and an undercover operation, established that Turner (based in Lizella, Georgia) sourced kilogram-bricks of heroin and shipped them to Smith at his residence in Valrico, Florida, where Smith would break them down into smaller quantities to ship to their Darknet customers. As of April 2026, their Darknet vendor account showed more than 2,500 fulfilled heroin orders, as well as thousands of reviews from customers praising the quality of the heroin.

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 Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and the Georgia State Patrol. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Belkis H. Callaos.