Islip Man Sentenced to 12 Years for Selling Fentanyl, Cocaine, Firearms

Travis Austin, 32, of Islip was sentenced to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty in August 2025 to multiple felonies, including Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance and Criminal Sale of a Firearm. Prosecutors said the case grew from a months-long investigation into large-scale fentanyl and cocaine distribution and illegal firearms trafficking that affected communities across Suffolk County.

According to the district attorney’s office, investigators traced alleged sales by Austin between June and September 2024. Authorities arrested Austin on Oct. 1, 2024, in the parking lot of a Starbucks in Islandia. At the time of the arrest officers recovered five unserialized handguns and quantities of drugs. A subsequent search of a storage unit connected to Austin yielded 3D-printed gun components and kilo presses used for packaging controlled substances, evidence prosecutors cited in court filings.

Austin entered a guilty plea in August 2025. The sentence imposed on Jan. 21, 2026 reflects the combined weight of the drug and firearm charges. The district attorney’s office framed the outcome as an enforcement victory for public safety, saying the conviction disrupts a supplier of potent opioids and untraceable weapons in Suffolk County.

The case touches on two persistent threats for local residents: the fentanyl overdose crisis and the spread of so-called ghost guns. Unserialized firearms evade tracing and can escalate violence by making it harder for law enforcement to link weapons to crimes. Kilo presses and mass packaging equipment indicate distribution at scale rather than isolated street-level dealing, increasing the volume of potentially lethal pills or powder entering neighborhoods.

For Islip and nearby towns, the prosecution signals continued focus by county prosecutors and investigators on dismantling networks that combine narcotics sales with illicit arms trafficking. The physical evidence recovered in this investigation - multiple unmarked handguns, 3D-printed components and industrial packaging equipment - formed the backbone of the case and illustrates how modern trafficking operations blend digital manufacturing with traditional drug distribution.

The sentence removes a convicted supplier from the community, but it also highlights ongoing enforcement and public health challenges. Residents should remain vigilant about signs of trafficking in their neighborhoods and continue to support prevention and treatment efforts aimed at reducing demand for fentanyl. The district attorney’s office and local police will likely continue investigations into similar operations as they work to limit the flow of deadly opioids and untraceable weapons in Suffolk County.