3 North Texans charged with supplying drugs linked to overdose deaths
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A man whom the U.S. Attorney's Office called the top drug source in the Carrollton fentanyl overdoses case was arrested this week.
- Jason Xavier Villanueva, 22, was charged with conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, according to the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.
- The attorney, Leigha Simonton, described him as the supplier of the fentanyl-laced pills to two people accused of peddling pills to teenage dealers in Carrollton
Why it matters: Nine middle and high school students overdosed, three fatally, between September 2022 and February 2023. A 14-year-old girl overdosed twice and experienced temporary paralysis, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Catch up fast: This is the third arrest in the case. Earlier this month, Luis Eduardo Navarrete, 21, and Magaly Mejia Cano, 29, were arrested at a Carrollton house on federal charges of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.
- Federal law enforcement officials said the pair were selling fake Percocet and Oxycontin laced with fentanyl, known as M-30s, to R.L. Turner High School students.
- Most of the pills were blue and the teens referred to them by nicknames, including "percs" and "yerks."
The big picture: Fentanyl overdoses are a growing problem among teenagers, who may not understand what they're taking.
- The synthetic opioid can easily be disguised in pills that look like regular medications, including pills for ADHD.
Zoom out: Teens in Central Texas have also died from fentanyl overdoses. And every Austin ISD school now has doses of Narcan, an opioid overdose treatment.
By the numbers: Fentanyl deaths increased in Texas from 114 per month in 2019 to 209 deaths per month in 2021, according to state health data.
- 92% of opioid overdose deaths of juveniles involved a synthetic drug like fentanyl.
What they're saying: "Fentanyl is killing our kids. We are angry about it. We are heartbroken about it. And we are determined to do all we can about it," Simonton said at a news conference this week.
Of note: Gov. Greg Abbott and Republican lawmakers have said they would support legalizing fentanyl test strips, which can be used to check whether pills contain the synthetic opioid.
What's next: The criminal cases are in the early stages. The three people remain in federal custody and face up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted.