LOS ANGELES — At least 11 suspected drug dealers face charges in Southern California that they sold fentanyl and other opioids that led to overdose deaths, federal prosecutors said Thursday.
The cases, which are unrelated, are the result of a federal law enforcement task force focused on combating fatal overdoses and a rise in deadly fentanyl being found in counterfeit drugs.
California has not been hit as hard as other states by the nation’s opioid crisis but has experienced a recent spike in fentanyl overdoses locally, said Thom Mrozek, spokesman for the U.S. attorney.
“This is a present public safety threat that we’re trying to address in a number of ways, including targeting the dealers who are directly selling fatal doses of drugs to users,” Mrozek said. “The drug dealers are not only putting the public in harm’s way but they are facing severe penalties when they are linked to a fatal overdose.”
The acting U.S. attorney in Los Angeles and Drug Enforcement Administration scheduled at an afternoon news conference to discuss the sweep.
The 11 cases, which date back as far as 2018, included five arrests made Thursday in a sweep of dealers.
At least one defendant, William Fulton, is charged in two deaths over subsequent days in October. The victims are listed only by their initials: D.S. and A.L.
Fulton is also charged with having methamphetamine and being a felon in possession of ammunition. He has a lengthy record including convictions for car theft, burglary and drug possession, according to court records.
Another suspect, Jason Soheili, of Laguna Hills, allegedly mailed a fatal dose of fentanyl to a man who had moved to Utah to go to rehab, but had dropped out of the program in January. The victim, who died Feb. 21, is not identified in court documents.
An affidavit for Soheili’s arrest includes text exchange he had with the alleged victim. When asked if he could provide a powder form of fentanyl, Soheili indicated he could and added: “just dont die … lol.”
