A North Texas fentanyl supplier was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison on Thursday after being linked to three juvenile deaths in Carrollton and Flower Mound.
Jason Xavier Villanueva, 23, was one of three defendants handed federal prison sentences on January 11 in connection to a fentanyl conspiracy that led to several teen overdoses, three of which were fatal.
Villanueva and his co-conspirators, 20-year-old Robert Alexander Gaitan and 23-year-old Rafael Soliz Jr., pleaded guilty to the federal drug charges they were indicted on last year, as previously covered in The Dallas Express. They were part of a group that sold counterfeit opioid pills containing fentanyl — a potent synthetic drug — between mid-2022 and February 2023.
Identified as the “major supplier” by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas, Villanueva admitted to distributing more than 200,000 fentanyl pills over roughly six months, according to court records. His network of dealers comprised both adults and juveniles, including Soliz and Gaitan, who contacted clients on social media and inside schools.
During their latest court appearance on January 11, U.S. District Judge Ed Kinkeade sentenced both Villanueva and Soliz to 15 years in federal prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and distribution of fentanyl to a person under 21 years of age. Gaitan will serve a five-year sentence for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.
Federal prosecutor Leigha Simonton applauded the work done by the DEA, the Carrollton Police Department, and more that led to these individuals being brought to justice and issued a warning to other peddlers of illicit drugs.
“Precious children in our north Texas community died — and more overdosed and almost died — as a direct result of these defendants’ actions, and I am proud of my dedicated prosecutors for working tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to bring these men to justice,” Simonton said.
“We will not stop until every dealer or trafficker knows that we will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law if you distribute the deadly drug of fentanyl.”
Despite the ongoing efforts to stop narcotics from being smuggled into the United States at the border, the U.S. fentanyl crisis continues to rage, killing approximately five people a day in Texas.
In Dallas, drug crime also puts a drain on already stretched police resources. As of January 10, there had already been 229 drug violations logged in 2024, while a total of 8,871 were clocked in 2023 alone, according to the City’s crime analytics dashboard.
The Dallas Police Department fields approximately 3,000 despite a prior City report recommending a force of 4,000 to ensure public safety. Budgeting only $654 million dollars for the department this year, City officials plan on spending considerably less than other high-crime jurisdictions, like New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
Drug crime and other criminal activity have been soaring in Downtown Dallas in particular, as covered by The Dallas Express. It regularly puts up higher crime rates than downtown Fort Worth, which is patrolled by a dedicated police unit and private security guards.
Additionally, black and Hispanic Dallasites have been bearing the brunt of crimes against persons, particularly when it comes to assaults and murders, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.