The Los Angeles prosecutor’s office announced 11 criminal cases against drug dealers on May 13, involving 12 drug dealers accused of distributing fentanyl and other narcotics that caused deaths. If convicted, the drug dealers will face at least 20 years in prison, or up to life in prison without parole.
According to information released by the Los Angeles prosecutor’s office, the 11 cases are the result of the work of the Drug Overdose Investigation Team, a federal drug enforcement agency (DEA) task force established to investigate drug overdose deaths in the greater Los Angeles area.
According to Acting Attorney Tracy L. Wilkison, the case demonstrates that fentanyl abuse is widespread and that fentanyl drugs are often hidden in a variety of illegal narcotics that threaten lives. She said, “These charges are the first step toward justice for the families of victims, who often do not know they died from ingesting the world’s most powerful opioid.”
Bill Bodner of the Special Agent in Charge (SAC) said, “Drug traffickers who market and sell counterfeit drugs through online and social media platforms may think they can escape accountability by using modern communications, but they’re playing it wrong.”
He said that while their actions do not bring people back from the dead, by pursuing accountability and bringing the criminals to justice, they will not continue to sell drugs and harm their communities.
One of the 11 cases resulted in the death of a 15-year-old on May 15, 2020. The investigation revealed that he thought he was buying oxycodone, a common semi-synthetic opioid, but instead bought pills containing fentanyl. The person who sold him the pills was 20-year-old Alexander Declan Bell Wilson.
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