Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
DA Smittcamp: 'I Will File as Many Murder Cases Against Drug Dealers as I Can'
Bill McEwen updated website photo 2024
By Bill McEwen, News Director
Published 3 years ago on
October 19, 2022

Share

 

With fentanyl killing Americans in alarming numbers, Fresno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp is pursuing justice for victims with an iron fist.

On Tuesday, Smittcamp’s office filed murder charges against Cassidy Mairie Gonzalez, 21, who allegedly sold fentanyl-laced pills that killed Jade Alexandra Dreith in January.

“This is murder without using a firearm. The weapon is fentanyl,” said Smittcamp. “They know that this pill can kill people and they continue to sell it.”

If convicted, Gonzalez faces up to 25 years to life in prison.

Seeking Maximum Sentences

An increasing number of prosecutors share Smittcamp’s disgust with traffickers dealing fentanyl.

In April, the U.S. Attorney announced seven criminal cases against drug dealers who sold fentanyl-laced narcotics that caused fatal overdoses in Orange County. In one of those cases, three people died in Newport Beach. The potential sentences in those cases range from a minimum of 20 years to a maximum of life without parole.

In Oklahoma, state prosecutors have filed murder charges after fentanyl overdose deaths. And, last month, the San Bernardino County DA’s Office filed a murder charge against an 18-year-old for allegedly selling and distributing opioids resulting in the death of another man.

In addition to the murder charge against Gonzalez, Smittcamp’s office charged Alejandro Laverde-Nuno, 25, with being an accessory after the fact.

Relatives of the victim said that Dreith thought she had gotten pills that would relieve her back pain. Not knowing the pills had fentanyl, she took them and died.

“When people show a conscious disregard for human life, you can prove murder,” Smittcamp said. “I will file as many murder cases against drug dealers as I can.”

America’s Killer Drug

According to the Drug Enforcement Agency, many fentanyl poisoning victims have no idea they’ve ingested the drug.

“Fentanyl is the single deadliest drug threat our nation has ever encountered,” says DEA Administrator Anne Milgram. “From large cities to rural America, no community is safe from the presence of fentanyl.”

Because fentanyl is cheap and about 50 times more potent than heroin, drug dealers mix it with other street drugs to create repeat customers, the DEA says. Just 2 milligrams of fentanyl can be deadly.

According to the CDC, nearly 108,000 people died in the United States last year because of drug overdoses and poisonings. About two-thirds of those deaths involved synthetic opioids such as fentanyl.

 

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Townsizing? Land Snorkeling? A User’s Guide to the Latest Travel Lingo

DON'T MISS

Trump Trade War Has Already Had Huge Effect on California Ports

DON'T MISS

Cambodian American Chefs Are Finding Success and Raising Their Culture’s Profile. On Their Terms

DON'T MISS

Ancient DNA Reveals a New Group of People Who Lived Near Land Bridge Between the Americas

DON'T MISS

FDA Approves Moderna’s New Lower-Dose COVID-19 Vaccine

DON'T MISS

Cabrera, Three Relievers Combine to Lead Marlins to Win Over Giants

DON'T MISS

Spike in Steel Tariffs Could Imperil Trump Promise of Lower Grocery Prices

DON'T MISS

Dodgers’ Mookie Betts Out With Broken Toe After Late-Night Bedroom Mishap

DON'T MISS

California Gubernatorial Candidate Steve Hilton Vows to Repeal Transgender Athlete Law

DON'T MISS

Trans Athlete Competes in California Championships in Clovis Despite National Controversy

UP NEXT

Trump Trade War Has Already Had Huge Effect on California Ports

UP NEXT

Cambodian American Chefs Are Finding Success and Raising Their Culture’s Profile. On Their Terms

UP NEXT

Ancient DNA Reveals a New Group of People Who Lived Near Land Bridge Between the Americas

UP NEXT

FDA Approves Moderna’s New Lower-Dose COVID-19 Vaccine

UP NEXT

Cabrera, Three Relievers Combine to Lead Marlins to Win Over Giants

UP NEXT

Spike in Steel Tariffs Could Imperil Trump Promise of Lower Grocery Prices

UP NEXT

Dodgers’ Mookie Betts Out With Broken Toe After Late-Night Bedroom Mishap

UP NEXT

California Gubernatorial Candidate Steve Hilton Vows to Repeal Transgender Athlete Law

UP NEXT

Trans Athlete Competes in California Championships in Clovis Despite National Controversy

UP NEXT

Tim Walz Urges Democrats to Fight Back Harder Against ‘Bully’ Trump

Bill McEwen,
News Director
Bill McEwen is news director and columnist for GV Wire. He joined GV Wire in August 2017 after 37 years at The Fresno Bee. With The Bee, he served as Opinion Editor, City Hall reporter, Metro columnist, sports columnist and sports editor through the years. His work has been frequently honored by the California Newspapers Publishers Association, including authoring first-place editorials in 2015 and 2016. Bill and his wife, Karen, are proud parents of two adult sons, and they have two grandsons. You can contact Bill at 559-492-4031 or at Send an Email

Ancient DNA Reveals a New Group of People Who Lived Near Land Bridge Between the Americas

4 hours ago

FDA Approves Moderna’s New Lower-Dose COVID-19 Vaccine

17 hours ago

Cabrera, Three Relievers Combine to Lead Marlins to Win Over Giants

17 hours ago

Spike in Steel Tariffs Could Imperil Trump Promise of Lower Grocery Prices

17 hours ago

Dodgers’ Mookie Betts Out With Broken Toe After Late-Night Bedroom Mishap

17 hours ago

California Gubernatorial Candidate Steve Hilton Vows to Repeal Transgender Athlete Law

22 hours ago

Trans Athlete Competes in California Championships in Clovis Despite National Controversy

1 day ago

Tim Walz Urges Democrats to Fight Back Harder Against ‘Bully’ Trump

1 day ago

US Defense Secretary Warns Indo-Pacific Allies of ‘Imminent’ Threat From China

1 day ago

Hamas Responds to the US Ceasefire Proposal for Gaza While Seeking Amendments

1 day ago

Townsizing? Land Snorkeling? A User’s Guide to the Latest Travel Lingo

For your next trip, have you considered townsizing? What about choosing a detour destination? And instead of forest-bathing, maybe it’...

3 hours ago

3 hours ago

Townsizing? Land Snorkeling? A User’s Guide to the Latest Travel Lingo

3 hours ago

Trump Trade War Has Already Had Huge Effect on California Ports

3 hours ago

Cambodian American Chefs Are Finding Success and Raising Their Culture’s Profile. On Their Terms

4 hours ago

Ancient DNA Reveals a New Group of People Who Lived Near Land Bridge Between the Americas

17 hours ago

FDA Approves Moderna’s New Lower-Dose COVID-19 Vaccine

17 hours ago

Cabrera, Three Relievers Combine to Lead Marlins to Win Over Giants

17 hours ago

Spike in Steel Tariffs Could Imperil Trump Promise of Lower Grocery Prices

17 hours ago

Dodgers’ Mookie Betts Out With Broken Toe After Late-Night Bedroom Mishap

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend