Deadly Drug Kills Man At Hard Rock Casino; Supplier Pleads Guilty

TAMPA, FL — A 34-year-old Tampa man has pleaded guilty to selling a mixture of heroin and fentanyl that killed a man in the garage of the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.

U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg said Nicholas Primo faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to court documents, on Nov. 13, 2019, Primo distributed narcotics to two people in the parking lot of the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. One of the people injected himself with the substance and died.

Primo was later captured on video surveillance returning to the man's vehicle. After realizing the man had died, Primo fled from the garage, authorities said.

Primo was later interviewed and admitted to purchasing $1,600 worth of heroin, which he sold. Primo later contacted a friend and attempted to move the victim’s car out of the Hard Rock Casino garage, authorities said.

This case was investigated by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and is part of the Middle District of Florida’s efforts to combat opioid trafficking and abuse.