United States Drug Enforcement Administration

TAMPA, Fla. - Timothy CathCart (33, Pasco County) was sentenced yesterday to 27 years in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute and possession with the intent to distribute a substance containing detectable amounts of fentanyl and norfentanyl, the use of which resulted in serious bodily injury to multiple individuals.  CathCart had pleaded guilty on November 1, 2019.            

According to court documents, CathCart was part of a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that conspired to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine throughout the Middle District of Florida. In January 2019, CathCart was arrested for a traffic violation in Pasco County. Moments before his arrest, he concealed approximately seven grams of fentanyl, which he had mixed with seven grams of gabapentin and methamphetamines. CathCart then smuggled the controlled substances inside the Pasco Jail.           

Between January 24 and January 25, 2019, CathCart distributed the fentanyl he had smuggled to three inmates in the Pasco Jail. All three inmates lost consciousness, overdosed, and suffered serious bodily injury.  

On February 1, 2019, two additional inmates overdosed from the substances that CathCart had smuggled into the jail. One inmate was successfully revived and eventually regained consciousness. The second inmate died. A postmortem toxicology report concluded that the individual suffered an accidental death caused by fentanyl toxicity. 

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration Tampa District Office and the Pasco Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.   

More information about this case can be found at https://www.flmd.uscourts.gov or https://ecf.flmd.uscourts.gov