DELAWARE- A Lewes man has pleaded guilty to a federal fentanyl charge stemming from a 2024 traffic stop that led to the recovery of hundreds of pills.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware, 38-year-old Brandon Barnes pleaded guilty Thursday to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Hall accepted the plea.
Court documents say Barnes fled from Lewes police during a traffic stop in July 2024. Investigators say Barnes lost control of the car and crashed into a utility box before running from the scene.
Police later caught Barnes and found numerous blue pills marked “M30” scattered on the floor and driver’s seat of the vehicle, along with more pills on the ground between the car and where Barnes was arrested.
Authorities say officers recovered more than 500 pressed fentanyl pills.
Barnes faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. Federal officials note that sentences are typically lower than the maximum and are determined by a judge using U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other legal factors.
Sentencing is scheduled for July 15, 2026.
The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case with assistance from the Lewes Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michelle Thurstlic-O’Neill and Samuel S. Frey are prosecuting the case.