A San Jose drug dealer has been arrested and charged after a group of Los Gatos High School students overdosed on fentanyl-laced pills that they purchased from him, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office.
Simon Armendariz, 23, was charged with felony drug sales to minors, the district attorney's office said. He pleaded not guilty and was denied bail during a court appearance Thursday. If he's convicted, he faces prison time.
"This is not a war on drugs, this is a struggle to save lives," District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement. "There are no good excuses with fentanyl. It kills and everybody knows it: the dealers, the manufacturers. We will find them, arrest them, and hold them accountable for selling poison for profit. I want to thank the Santa Clara Police Department, the Santa Clara County Specialized Enforcement Team, and the investigators from my Office for their continued work in addressing the fentanyl epidemic."
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The investigation into Armendariz began when Santa Clara police responded to a report of a 15-year-old girl who had overdosed in a bathroom during a Narcotics Anonymous meeting, the district attorney's office said. The pill, identified as a counterfeit Percocet pill laced with fentanyl, was traced back to Armendariz.
Santa Clara police, the Santa Clara County Specialized Enforcement Team and district attorney's office investigators traced the drugs to several other students, including one who allegedly received the $10 pills from Armendariz at school or at a church parking lot, according to the district attorney's office.
"There were four victims that were minors at the time," Deputy District Attorney Eunice Lee said. "We believe that the evidence will show that defendant Armendariz was selling and furnishing drugs through various areas of downtown Los Gatos, including the high school and a church."
Armendariz allegedly urged the students to share his contact information so he could boost his customer list. He used nicknames like "Risky" and "Madman," and his "growing student clientele were so aware of the deadly risk of the toxic pill that they often carried Narcan in case they overdosed," the district attorney's office said.
Lee pointed out Armendariz was already on probation for an undisclosed conviction at the time he was arrested, adding that he has an extensive criminal history.
Lee also said she believes the evidence will show the charges and consequences could have been worse.
"Defendant Armendariz did sell and furnish a minor a deadly fentanyl pill that did result in an overdose," Lee said. "I am thankful to say that this is not a homicide case, but given the dangers of fentanyl that the dealers know it could have easily resulted in a death."
A preliminary hearing for Armendariz has been set for Jan 6.
