A San Jose man convicted of selling fentanyl-laced pills to Los Gatos High School students is expected to be sentenced to 12 years in prison, the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office announced Tuesday.
Simon Armendariz, 23, pleaded as charged last week to all charges and allegations, including four felonies for selling drugs to minors, misdemeanors for possession of ammunition by a prohibited person and possession of fentanyl, and two strike prior offenses, the district attorney's office said. His formal sentencing has been scheduled for Dec. 6.
"Just so everybody knows: fentanyl kills," District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement. "Just so everybody knows: if you sell fentanyl to teenagers then our prosecutors will do everything in our power to send you to prison for a very long time."
Authorities first began investigating Armendariz, who went by the moniker Risky, after Santa Clara police responded to a teen's overdose. The pill – a counterfeit Percocet laced with fentanyl – was traced back to Armendariz, the district attorney's office said.
Authorities traced the drugs to several other students, including one who would pick up the $10 pills from Armendariz at school or at a nearby church parking lot, according to the district attorney's office.
Several students carried Narcan with them in case they overdosed, the district attorney's office said. One of the victims, a 15 year old, overdosed in a bathroom during a Narcotics Anonymous meeting.
"The word got out that Risky’s drugs were really potent, so you had teenagers talking about that and carrying Narcan in preparation that there might be some kind of disaster," Deputy District Attorney Eunice Lee said.
Prosecutors know of four victims so far. They all survived the deadly drugs.
If Armendariz had gone to trial and lost, he faced up to 39 years in prison.
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