Abilene Man Pleads Guilty to Selling Fentanyl that Killed a Man

ABILENE— An Abilene drug dealer has pleaded guilty to a federal drug charge after selling a man fentanyl laced pills that killed him.

According to documents, 21-year-old Elijah James Perez, has pleaded guilty to distribution of fentanyl that resulted in death. Perez allegedly admitted to selling fentanyl to a man who identified himself as “J.W.”. Perez met with J.W. outside his home at about 10:00 p.m. to make the sale.

The following day, “J.W.” was found in bed, unresponsive, and was later pronounced dead after 40 minutes of attempted resuscitation. In the plea papers, Perez sold “5 percs” to J.W. which were found to laced with fentanyl.

“Fentanyl has shattered far too many lives,” U.S. Attorney Leigha Simonton said, “and far too often, users don’t understand that the pills they’re ingesting are laced with this deadly drug. Let this case be a warning to drug dealers throughout Texas: If you sell the fentanyl that causes an overdose death, we will hold you accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

Eduardo A. Chavez, a DEA Dallas Field Division Special Agent said, “The consequences of trafficking drugs is real. The deadly effects of fentanyl have claimed the lives of two people: one who we will never get back and another who will spend years in prison as a result. The DEA will continue to investigate these crimes with a relentless pursuit of justice and accountability for the criminal organizations that distribute these deadly drugs.:”

Perez faces a minimum 20-year sentence in federal prison.