THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT VOICE OF CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, SAN BERNARDINO SINCE 1965
Coyote Chronicle COYOTECHRONICLE.NET
2024/25, Issue #5
Combating the Fentanyl Crisis: Charging Dealers with Murder When Sales Lead to Death
March 14th, 2025
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Page 3 Immigration Protests reach the Inland Empire
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Inland Empire District Attorney sends a clear message to fentanyl dealers regarding harsher sentencing for the continued sale of the illegal drug.
By Olivia Hoar Staff Writer The fentanyl crisis in Riverside county has resulted in the District Attorney’s (DA) office charging dealers with second degree murder if the sale results in the death of a buyer. In 2023 Riverside counties Deputy DA Jerry Pfohl of the DA’s Homicide Division achieved the first guilty verdict in California for a homicide that related to the sale of the deadly substance that has been wreaking havoc on the nation. That verdict resulted in a sentence of 15 years to life for the perpetrator. Fentanyal is a synthetic opiod used for pain relif. This opiod is about 100 times the strength of moprhine and around 50 times more powful than heroin according the United States Drug Enforcment Administration (FDA). Since that first guilty verdict,
Riverside County’s DA office has successfully tried and won 20 cases related to the death of fentanyl users with sentences up to 22 years. These sentences are extended beyond the average 6 years for offenders according to the United States Sentencing Commission. San Bernardino county is also pursuing murder charges for fentanyl overdoses. In 2022, 18-year-old Alfred Urrea was charged with the murder and death of 18-year-old Adrian Alloway . According to DA Jason Anderson, “In cases such as this, where murder is alleged, we believe we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt the dealer knowingly understood the dangers of fentanyl, and still chose profits over human life when supplying drugs to the victim.” A crucial fact to remember is that in many of the deaths related to fentanyl, the user was not aware of what they were
ingesting. According to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration the sale of counterfeit pills containing 2 mg of fentanyl, which is considered a deadly amount, is on the rise. This means a lethal dose of fentanyl can be disguised as common xanax, oxycontin, and other prevalent narcotics are being sold to drug users which can inevitably cause them to unknowingly overdose. 13,380,892 fentanyl pills and 6,497 lbs of fentanyl powder were seized by law enforcemnt from April 1, 2022 to December 31, 2024 according to California’s Department of Justice. This statistic is a prime example of how large the fentanyl epidemic is in California alone and reveals a great deal of work to be done in the effort to stop the growing distribution of this drug. So far the Inland Empire is on the right track with persecuting those who
choose to endanger communities by spreading misfortune. This puts citties from Primm to Chino hills at an advantage by cutting the surge of Fetynal at the source. Charging dealers for murder is an important step to take when it comes to protecting the lives fo those who may not known any better. in 2023 the California Department of Public Health documented 7,137 deaths linked to fentanyl overdoses. In an effort to deter the sale of the illicit drug Inland Empire’s DA offices are working diligently to charge fentanyl distributors for deaths linked to fentanyl overdose. By charging dealers for second degree murder they will be held accountable to the families of the victims and the law. A strict stance on fentanyl
distributors could save many lives and for the lives that have already been lost, justice would be served.
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