Luis Eduardo Navarrete, Fentanyl Trafficking, Texas 2023

Luis Eduardo Navarrete, a 21-year-old Carrollton man, has admitted to playing a significant role in the fentanyl overdose deaths of three students in the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District.

Luis Eduardo Navarrete pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute a Schedule II controlled substance (fentanyl) and one count of distribution of a Schedule II controlled substance (fentanyl) to a person under 21 years of age in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas on Wednesday.

The charges stem from a large-scale fentanyl trafficking operation that distributed counterfeit M30 pills containing fentanyl to students at R.L. Turner High School, Dewitt Perry Middle School, and Dan F. Long Middle School in Carrollton. In total, 11 individuals were charged in connection with the operation, including Navarrete.

According to plea documents, Navarrete used his Highland Drive residence in Carrollton as a hub for the operation, storing the counterfeit pills near the front door and distributing them to customers, including a network of juvenile dealers who dealt the pills to other minor students. In December 2022, a 13-year-old Dewitt Perry Middle School student overdosed and died after ingesting a counterfeit M30 pill that contained fentanyl. In January 2023, a 14-year-old student at Dan F. Long Middle School overdosed and died after ingesting a counterfeit M30 pill. On February 1, 2023, a 17-year-old R.L. Turner High School student also overdosed and died after ingesting a counterfeit M30 pill.

Defendant: Luis Eduardo Navarrete, 21, of Carrollton, Texas

Criminal Charges: One count of conspiracy to distribute a Schedule II controlled substance (fentanyl) and one count of distribution of a Schedule II controlled substance (fentanyl) to a person under 21 years of age

City and State: Carrollton, Texas

Exact Date: March 29, 2023 (indicted) and February 21, 2024 (sentencing)

Sentence or Outcome: Faces up to 40 years in federal prison for each count and $7 million in fines

Dollar Amounts: $7 million in fines

The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Dallas Field Office and the Carrollton Police Department conducted the investigation with the assistance of School Resource Officers from the Carrollton – Farmer’s Branch Independent School District. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rick Calvert and Phelesa Guy are prosecuting the case.

Navarrete is set to be sentenced on February 21, 2024.

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