CARROLLTON, TX – A pair of alleged fentanyl dealers are facing federal charges after authorities connected them to a horrifying spike in juvenile overdoses, including three deaths, in the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District. Luis Eduardo Navarrete, 21, and Magaly Mejia Cano, 29, were charged with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl following an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Carrollton Police Department.
The criminal complaint alleges Navarrete and Cano peddled counterfeit Percocet and Oxycontin pills laced with fentanyl – commonly known as “M30s” – to teenage drug dealers who then distributed the deadly substances to students at R.L. Turner High School, Dewitt Perry Middle School, and Dan F. Long Middle School. Between September 2022 and February 2023, nine students, aged 13 to 17, suffered a total of ten overdoses, three of which proved fatal. This isn’t just drug dealing; it’s a calculated gamble with children’s lives.
U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, Leigha Simonton, minced no words in condemning the alleged actions. “To deal fentanyl is to knowingly imperil lives. To deal fentanyl to minors — naive middle and high school students — is to shatter futures. These defendants’ alleged actions are simply despicable. We can never replace the three teenagers whose lives were lost…But we can take action to ensure these defendants are never allowed to hand a pill to a child again,” she stated. The pain felt by these families is immeasurable, and justice must be served.
Investigators built their case through surveillance and witness testimony. A 14-year-old girl, who overdosed twice and suffered temporary paralysis, identified Navarrete as the source of the pills she obtained through juvenile dealers. Surveillance footage from January 12, 2023, captured Navarrete allegedly conducting a hand-to-hand transaction with a 16-year-old dealer, who was later observed consuming the drugs in a bathroom at R.L. Turner High School. The teen admitted to purchasing the “perc pills” directly from Navarrete.
Eduardo A. Chavez, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Dallas Field Division, emphasized the severity of the crime: “Selling drugs alone is a serious transgression, but to sell deadly fentanyl to a juvenile is one of the most shocking and callous ways to hurt a community.” Carrollton Police Chief Roberto Arredondo echoed the sentiment, stating, “There is nothing more precious than our children,” and praised the collaborative effort with federal agencies to “rid our great community of this poison.”
Navarrete and Cano made their initial appearances in federal court on Monday. If convicted of the conspiracy charge, each defendant faces up to 20 years in federal prison. A criminal complaint is an accusation, and both defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Authorities warn that illicit fentanyl-laced pills often mimic legitimate prescription drugs but carry a far greater risk, frequently referred to on the streets as “M30s,” “blues,” “perks,” or “china girls.” The investigation is ongoing, and prosecutors Rick Calvert and Phelesa Guy are handling the case.
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Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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