2 teens, 'top source' of fentanyl supply tied to Carrollton juvenile overdoses charged

NORTH TEXAS (CBSNewsTexas.com) - Two teenagers authorities call a "top source" for distributing fentanyl in North Texas now face federal charges relating to at least 14 juvenile overdoses, three of them fatal.

The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, Leigha Simonton announced Friday Julio Gonzales, Jr., 18, and his roommate, 19-year-old Adrian Martinez-Leon were both arrested Thursday and charged via criminal complaint with drug conspiracy.

In February 2023, a 16-year-old dealer who delivered the fentanyl pills that killed a 14-year-old girl in December 2022 allegedly identified Gonzales, the complaint states, whom he called "J-Money," as his supplier.  

In text messages, the teen discussed "J-Money" with Eduardo Navarrete, one of the first dealers charged in the scheme. They identified "J-Money" as their "plug," street slang for a source of supply.

At least four other cooperating defendants allegedly identified "J-Money" as their source of supply and tied him to an address in Oak Cliff, according to the complaint. 

Three of the cooperating defendants also immediately identified a photograph of Gonzales as the man they knew as "J-Money." 

One of them told agents the thousands of pills sold during a DEA-controlled purchase operation were sourced by Gonzales, reads the complaint. Instagram messages between Gonzales and the defendants negotiating pill prices and quantities corroborated the accounts.

According to the complaint, in June, agents surveilling Gonzales watched him allegedly conduct a hand-to-hand drug transaction with a subject who then ducked into a nearby alleyway, crushed the pills, and smoked them.  The complaint also says the agents also observed his roommate, Martinez-Leon, allegedly conduct a hand-to-hand transaction with a subject outside their front door. 

During a search of their residence, DEA agents found thousands of fentanyl-laced M-30 pills stuffed in the microwave, a partial kilogram of cocaine tucked in a plastic food storage container, bulk U.S. currency hidden in the closet, and numerous firearms, including a pistol equipped with an illegal Glock switch, littered throughout the home. 

"These arrests demonstrate the continued resolve of DEA Dallas to investigate this organization to the fullest extent possible," said DEA Special Agent in Charge Eduardo A. Chávez.  "Local street dealers, transporters, bulk suppliers, and anyone in between should know DEA Dallas is still committed to holding everyone in this organization, and others like it, accountable for selling fentanyl to our communities."

Gonzales and Martinez-Leon are the ninth and tenth defendants charged in the wake of the Carrollton overdoses, which have claimed the lives of four middle and high school students to date. To date, five have pleaded guilty.

"Another domino has fallen in the Carrollton juvenile fentanyl overdose saga," said Simonton. "Rest assured, the Justice Department will not stop until their entire fentanyl trafficking infrastructure has been dismantled. Our kids' futures are too important to allow this to continue. "  

Gonzales and Martinez-Leon face up to 40 years in federal prison if convicted.