A pair of fentanyl dealers were sentenced to a combined 15-year federal prison sentence after being found guilty in the death of a 15-year-old Carrolton, Texas, girl. The two supplied the girl with fake Percocet pills containing the deadly fentanyl, according to court documents.
U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton announced the sentencing on Wednesday.
Lizbeth Prieto, 19, also known as Lizbeth Escamilla, and Cristian Lopez, 24, were charged via criminal complaint in June 2023 and indicted the following month, according to a press release by U.S. Attorney Simonton’s office. Ms. Prieto pleaded guilty in November 2023 to the distribution of a controlled substance to a person under 21 and was sentenced in April 2024 to 84 months in federal prison. Mr. Lopez pleaded guilty in July 2024 to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and was sentenced Monday to 96 months in federal prison.
The case involving Prieto and Lopez stemmed from a June 2023 incident involving the discovery of an unresponsive teen girl in Carrolton. According to Carrolton Police Investigators, family members discovered the unresponsive teen on a bed in their family home. The victim was transported to a local hospital, where she was pronounced deceased after arrival.
Carrolton Police officers searched the victim’s bedroom and discovered ten blue pills that were marked with “M30” on the child’s dresser. The pills were tested and found to contain fentanyl. Detectives also discovered evidence on the victim’s phone that Lizbeth Prieto offered to sell the teen the pills for $100.00 the day before the teen’s poisoning death.
As part of the investigation, a sting operation was conducted by undercover officers who contacted the suspect, Lizbeth Prieto and arranged to purchase similar pills from her. Prieto arrived to complete the sale of the contraband and was accompanied by Cristian Lopez. Both were arrested. During subsequent interviews, Prieto admitted to selling the teen the deadly fentanyl pills. Cristian Lopez admitted his role as a supplier to Prieto in the fentanyl marketing scheme.
Special Agent in Charge Eduardo A. Chavez commented on the case, saying, “Selling poison in the form of fentanyl to our youth is one of the most treacherous and evil ways to hurt our community, to all of those who still continue to traffic fentanyl pills: DEA Dallas and our law enforcement partners such as Carrollton PD will find you and hold you accountable for your selfish actions.”
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @RandyClarkBBTX.
