The Hillsborough County case resulted in lengthy sentences for a husband-and-wife drug trafficking operation that distributed fentanyl while Vincent Stephens was already serving a 20-year sentence for prior trafficking and firearm charges. Renee Stephens received a 30-year sentence while Vincent Stephens was sentenced to 60 years, which he will serve consecutively with his current incarceration.
The Florida Attorney General's office alleged that Vincent Stephens orchestrated the drug operation from behind bars, using Facebook and phone calls to direct his wife's street-level distribution activities. "This couple was not only profiting from pushing poison into our communities, but they were also doing it in the presence of a young, vulnerable child," Attorney General Uthmeier said in announcing the sentences.
Renee Stephens operated the trafficking scheme from her apartment, where investigators said her young child was present during multiple drug transactions. In January 2026, she was convicted on multiple charges including conspiracy to traffic in fentanyl (28 grams or more), two counts of trafficking in fentanyl (4 grams to 14 grams), three counts of unlawful use of a two-way communication device, three additional counts of trafficking in fentanyl, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The investigation involved three controlled purchases conducted by a confidential informant and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement in October and November 2023. During two of these transactions, Renee Stephens communicated by phone with her incarcerated husband, who directed the deals from prison. FDLE executed a search warrant at her apartment on December 11, 2023, recovering fentanyl and drug paraphernalia including scales and a kilo press.
"These drug traffickers have proven multiple times that they have no regard for the law. I am grateful to Assistant Statewide Prosecutors Luis Aguila and Gianna Fina for ensuring they will spend a very long time behind bars," Attorney General Uthmeier said.
Vincent Stephens was convicted of conspiracy to traffic in fentanyl (28 grams or more) and will serve his new 60-year sentence consecutively with his current 20-year term. Both defendants will serve their sentences in the Florida Department of Corrections.
The case highlights the Attorney General's continued focus on fentanyl trafficking prosecutions and demonstrates the office's ability to pursue complex cases involving incarcerated defendants who attempt to continue criminal enterprises from prison.