DOJ obtains 22-year prison sentence for habitual fentanyl dealer

A Dover man has been sentenced to prison for a variety of drug-related offenses.

Tyleer Mills, 51, was sentenced to 22 years in prison by a Superior Court judge on May 26, 2026. The sentencing follows his convictions on charges of Drug Dealing Tier 2 (Fentanyl) and Drug Dealing Tier 3 (Cocaine) as well as several counts of Violation of Probation for a variety of prior convictions on charges of Drug Dealing. Due to the prior offenses, Mills was sentenced as a habitual offender.

"After the opioid crisis has killed thousands of Delawareans, it is almost unbelievable that anyone could be callous enough to continue to engage in the fentanyl trade," said Attorney General Kathy Jennings. "Our DOJ trial team, the NCCPD, the Dover PD, and our law enforcement partners in Maryland and in the FBI have done tremendous work here by making sure that yet another of the opioid crisis's foot soldiers is off the street."

On September 19, 2024, Mills was arrested by Dover PD, who retrieved 270 grams of cocaine, roughly a pound of marijuana, and $7,000 cash. That arrest followed the agency's 7-month-long investigation into his involvement in drug distribution while under probation for previous offenses. Mills was able to post bail following his arrest.

On July 29, 2025, New Castle County Police officers and FBI Violent Crimes Task Force members witnessed Mills retrieve drugs from another individual at the Christiana Mall while investigating a fentanyl and cocaine distribution ring. Upon being stopped by NCCPD, Mills fled, throwing over 5,000 bags of fentanyl out of the window of the car in the process; the bags were retrieved by law enforcement. Mills was later apprehended by Maryland and NCCPD law enforcement officers in Elkton, Maryland, in early August 2025. As a result of the investigation, a number of other individuals have been charged and are all pending trial.