CARROLLTON, Texas — A group of individuals has been sentenced to a combined 35 years in federal prison for their involvement in a drug conspiracy that led to the deaths of three teenage girls in North Texas. The conspiracy is linked to at least 12 juvenile overdoses, with three of them resulting in fatalities in Carrollton and Flower Mound.
The case, which WFAA has been covering since March 2023, involves a total of seven people connected to the drug conspiracy. Last year, 23-year-olds Jason Xavier Villanueva and Rafael Soliz pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and distribution of fentanyl to individuals under 21 years of age.
In July 2023, 20-year-old Roberta Alexander Gaitan also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. As a result, U.S. District Judge Ed Kinkeade sentenced Villanueva to 15 years, Gaitan to 5 years, and Soliz to 15 years in federal prison.
According to the indictment, the defendants conspired with several others to traffic counterfeit opioid pills laced with fentanyl to young teens, often using juvenile dealers. This led to at least 12 juvenile overdoses, resulting in three fatalities. The victims’ ages ranged from 13 to 17, and the drugs were frequently advertised via social media.
“This is what drug trafficking and abuse does. Lives have been destroyed and tragically some we will never get back,” said DEA Dallas Special Agent in Charge, Eduardo A. Chávez.
In court documents, Villanueva admitted to distributing more than 200,000 fentanyl pills in North Texas over five or six months, selling them to a network of juvenile and adult dealers. Multiple agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Dallas Field Office and the Carrollton Police Department, were involved in the investigation.
The drug conspiracy case involving the deaths of three teenage girls in Carrollton and Flower Mound has resulted in significant prison sentences for the individuals involved, shedding light on the devastating impact of drug trafficking and abuse on young lives. The investigation involved multiple agencies and serves as a reminder of the importance of collaborative efforts in combating such criminal activities.