Category: fentanyl deaths

San Diego Man Indicted for Selling Fentanyl That Allegedly Led to 15-Year-Old’s Death

SAN DIEGO—A San Diego man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly selling fentanyl to a 15-year-old Coronado High School sophomore, leading to the teen’s death earlier this year, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Dec. 28. Kaylar Junior Tawan Beltranlap, 21, is charged with a count of distribution of fentanyl resulting in…


Autopsy: Vista Jail Inmate Died of Drug Overdose

SAN DIEGO—A 24-year-old inmate who died after falling ill at Vista Detention Facility last summer succumbed to an accidental drug overdose, authorities reported Dec. 6. Deputies found Ronaldino Estrada of Escondido unconscious and unresponsive in his cell at the South Melrose Drive jail on the morning of July 5, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department. Paramedics took Estrada…


Two Men Plead Guilty for Mac Miller’s Fentanyl Overdose

LOS ANGELES—Two of three men charged with supplying the fentanyl-laced pills that led to rapper Mac Miller’s fatal overdose pleaded guilty today in Los Angeles to a federal drug distribution charge. Stephen Walter, 48, of Westwood, and Ryan Reavis, 38, formerly of West Los Angeles, entered their pleas during separate Zoom hearings to a count…


San Diego Man Sentenced Nearly 14 Years for Fentanyl Sale That Killed Woman

SAN DIEGO—A San Diego man who sold fentanyl that resulted in an 18-year-old woman’s death was sentenced Nov. 22 to nearly 14 years in federal prison. Brandon Jacob Shepherd, 26, pleaded guilty earlier this year to coordinating a sale of the drugs to the woman, identified in court records only as P.E.R. According to the…


Drug Dealer Sentenced 13 Years for San Diego Woman’s Fentanyl Overdose Death

SAN DIEGO—A drug dealer who supplied fentanyl that led to a San Diego woman’s overdose death was sentenced today to 13 years in prison. Tony Davis, 65, of San Diego, pleaded guilty earlier this year to federal charges for distributing fentanyl-laced heroin to a street-level dealer, who in turn sold the drugs that caused the…


Orange County Records Spike in Fentanyl Deaths

The number of fentanyl-related deaths has risen by more than 1,000 percent during the past five years in Orange County, Calif., according to the local sheriff’s department. Data released by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD) department showed 37 people were poisoned by the drug in 2016. There were 57 deaths in 2017, 134 deaths in 2018,…