Two fentanyl dealers have been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison after being found guilty in the death of a 15-year-old girl in Carrollton, Texas. According to court documents, the two provided the girl with counterfeit Percocet pills containing the deadly fentanyl.
Leigha Simonton, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, announced the sentence Wednesday.
Lisbeth Prieto, 19, also known as Lisbeth Escamilla, and Cristian Lopez, 24, were criminally charged in June 2023 and indicted the following month, according to a press release from the Simonton U.S. Attorney's Office. . Prieto pleaded guilty in November 2023 to distribution of a controlled substance to a person under the age of 21 and was sentenced to 84 months in federal prison in April 2024. 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 stems from a June 2023 incident in which a teenage girl was found unresponsive in Carrollton. Investigators with the Carrollton Police Department say a family member found the boy unresponsive in bed in his home. The victim was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival.
Carrollton police searched the victim's bedroom and found 10 blue pills marked “M30” on the child's dresser. The pills were tested and found to contain fentanyl. Detectives also found evidence on the victim's cell phone that the day before the boy's poisoning death, Lizbeth Prieto offered to sell the boy pills for $100.
As part of the investigation, a sting operation was conducted by an undercover officer who contacted 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. In a subsequent interview, Prieto admitted to selling the boy the deadly fentanyl pills. Cristian Lopez admitted to his role as a supplier to Prieto in the fentanyl marketing scheme.
Special Agent in Charge Eduardo A. Chavez commented on the case: “Selling poison in the form of fentanyl to our youth is one of the most dangerous and evil ways to harm our communities and all those who continue to traffic in fentanyl. ” Pills: Our law enforcement partners, including the Dallas DEA and the Carrollton Police Department, will find you and hold you accountable for your selfish actions. ”
randy clark He is a 32-year veteran of the U.S. Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as Division Chief of Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol stations within the Del Rio, Texas area. Follow him at X (formerly Twitter) @RandyClarkBBTX.
