DALLAS — An alleged Carrollton drug dealer accused of capitalizing on the arrest of two fentanyl traffickers to advertise fentanyl to minors has been charged with a federal drug crime.
The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas said the suspect, 20-year-old Donovan Jude Andrews, was arrested Wednesday in Carrollton and charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
Court documents state Andrews allegedly commented on an Instagram post announcing the arrest of the two traffickers, Luis Navarrete and Magaly Cano, in early February 2023.
Using the Instagram handle "deegetbandz_3x," Andrews wrote that the two dealers "took all the ATTENTION" from police and said he was selling M/30, fentanyl, pills for $10 each.
He later shared an Instagram post about the overdose deaths of three minors tied to the two dealers and added the caption "Fuxk em come get em."
Soon afterward, police said a 14-year-old girl who suffered from an apparent Fentanyl overdose told law enforcement she bought five M/30 pills from Andrews. Home surveillance footage reportedly showed the delivery. A snapshot of the footage was included in the criminal complaint.
Police say they later saw him making hand-to-hand transactions on the street, and found an 18-year-old high school student who admitted she bought pills from Andrews.
A search warrant was executed at Andrews' residence on Feb. 28, the criminal complaint stated, but he was not there, and Andrews' mother told police he had moved out a day or two prior.
That same day, the complaint states police found a Toyota Camry previously seen outside Andrews' home, being driven by a 17-year-old boy with Andrews in the vehicle.
Police continued surveillance on the Camry, the complaint detailed, and on March 1, Carrollton police stopped the car. A probable cause search of the car showed the 17-year-old in possession of an M/30 pill in the driver's side door, and Andrews was found with a plastic bag filled with counterfeit M/30 pills in his right sock. Both were arrested and soon afterward a field test of the pills showed presumptive positive for fentanyl.
The 17-year-old was interrogated and told police he would drive Andrews around in exchange for one to two M/30 pills a day, the complaint stated. He also told police Andrews' Instagram handle was "deegetbandz_3x."
Andrews later admitted to selling the pills using the Instagram account, police said, and further told police he delivered pills to the two girls.
“Most of us recoiled in horror when we heard that nine Carrollton children suffered ten fentanyl overdoses in the span of just six months. 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,” said U.S. Attorney Leigha Simonton in a statement. “The Justice Department works tirelessly to investigate and prosecute fentanyl traffickers. But when we arrest one dealer, another inevitably pops up to take his place. We need the community’s help to educate our kids about the danger of fentanyl. One pill – or even half or a quarter of one pill – can kill.”
Andrews could spend up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted.