Jury Finds Apollo Beach Man Guilty of Distribution of Fentanyl Resulting in Death

Tampa, Florida - A federal jury has found Ludwin Borgen (49, Apollo Beach) guilty of distribution of fentanyl resulting in death. Borgen faces a minimum penalty of 20 years, up to life, in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 16, 2026. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to evidence presented at trial, Borgen was a drug dealer in the Tampa Bay area who had supplied the victim with fentanyl on multiple instances in the past. In the late evening of March 28, 2022, the victim began reaching out to Borgen to arrange a purchase the next day. On March 29, 2022, the victim met Borgen at a pharmacy, where she purchased fentanyl from him. The victim returned to a residence where she had been staying with a friend. That evening, the victim injected herself with the fentanyl while soaking in the bathtub. Intoxicated by the fentanyl, she slid under the water and drowned. After noticing that the victim had been in the bathroom for a long time, her friend checked on her and found her body in the bathtub with her head submerged under the water and a syringe floating next to her.

Toxicology revealed that the victim had approximately ten times the therapeutic concentration of fentanyl in her system-a concentration consistent with overdose deaths. Detectives from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office who specialize in overdose deaths investigated and identified Borgen as the person who had sold the fentanyl to the victim. A detective used the victim's phone to arrange another meeting with Borgen, who arrived intending to sell more fentanyl to the victim. After the investigation team arrested Borgen, they searched his vehicle and found fentanyl, baggies, syringes, and a scale.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner's Office, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Muriel Moore and Michael Sinacore.