An alleged local drug dealer is facing federal charges after reportedly advertising drugs online and distributing them to area teens.
Law enforcement agents arrested 20-year-old Donovan Jude Andrews in Carrollton last Wednesday, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton announced in a news release.
Andrews reportedly took to social media hoping to capitalize on the previous arrest of two suspected drug traffickers who had allegedly sold drugs to students in the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District (CFBISD), as previously reported in The Dallas Express.
The two suspects, Luis Eduardo Navarrete and Magaly Mejia Cano, were allegedly tied to the fentanyl overdoses of at least 10 juveniles in CFBISD, three of which ended up dying, according to the release.
However, as recently as last week, a female student at R.L. Turner High School in CFBISD overdosed in a school bathroom, but staff members were able to revive her by administering Narcan, as The Dallas Express reported.
Using the social media handle “deegetbandz_3x,” Andrews allegedly referenced the arrest of Navarrete and Cano, posting: “took all the ATTENTION.” According to the news release, Andrews added that he was selling M/30 pills for $10 each.
Andrews also shared an Instagram post about the three overdose deaths at CFBISD, adding his own comment: “F**k em come get em.”
The news release states that a 14-year-old girl suffered a suspected fentanyl overdose after purchasing five M/30 pills from the person using the “deegetbandz_3x” Instagram account. Home surveillance video confirms that an individual delivered pills to a mailbox after the teen paid the individual via a money transfer app.
While surveilling Andrew’s home, law enforcement agents claimed they saw Andrews making hand-to-hand drug transactions on the street.
Police also spoke with an 18-year-old female Hebron High School student who admitted to buying pills from a man named “Donovan” who allegedly used the “deegetbandz_3x” Instagram handle.
Earlier this month, law enforcement pulled over a Toyota Camry connected to Andrews.
The vehicle’s driver, a 17-year-old Hebron High School student, reportedly told police he was driving Andrews around in exchange for M/30 pills. Andrews, who was in the passenger seat, had a baggie of pills stashed in his sock and admitted to giving drugs to the teen driver, according to the news release.
Andrews also allegedly admitted to police that he sold M/30 pills and confirmed he used the social media handle “deegetbandz_3x.” He also reportedly confirmed to law enforcement that he delivered the pills to the 14-year-old girl’s mailbox.
Simonton expressed frustration over the recent fentanyl overdoses affecting CFBISD.
“Most of us recoiled in horror when we heard that nine Carrollton children suffered ten fentanyl overdoses in the span of just six months,” said Simonton. “Mr. Andrews, on the other hand, allegedly seized on the situation as a marketing opportunity.”
“Knowing full well that fentanyl was killing our kids, he allegedly attempted to convert survivors into customers,” added Simonton.
Andrews is charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance and could face 20 years in federal prison if convicted.
The DFW Metroplex has been seeing drug crime rise in recent years, especially in Dallas, where City leaders cannot seem to get crime under control. So far, more than 1,700 drug-related offenses have been reported in the city limits this year, according to the City of Dallas Open Data crime analytics dashboard.