Man, 19, arrested again following Placer County fentanyl bust
PLACER COUNTY -- A 19-year-old man is back in custody following a major fentanyl bust in Placer County.
The man was arrested in Contra Costa County after investigators said he was attempting to sell fentanyl in Placer County for the second time.
"We've recognized how deadly this drug is and it's taking a lot of lives," said Elise Soviar, a spokesperson for the Placer County Sheriff's Office.
The Sheriff's office said that Owen Zuniga-Medina was first taken into custody in September in Richmond on three felony counts related to the sale of fentanyl in Placer County. A judge ordered his release under monitored supervision.
"Just the way the system works, he was released with supervision terms but we quickly gathered information that he went right back to selling drugs," Soviar said.
The sheriff's office says Zuniga-Medina and another 45-year-old woman were caught with more than three pounds of methamphetamine and more than one pound of fentanyl, which is enough to kill up to 1.5 million people. He now faces six felony charges.
"We investigated, we're holding them and we will prosecute them here," Soviar said.
Soviar said the sheriff's office is taking a strong stance against fentanyl traffickers regardless of whether they're from outside Placer County.
"It is a mission of the sheriff's office to make sure that if there's anything impacting our residents, we're going to hold those accountable," Soviar said.
There have only been four murder convictions for fentanyl-related deaths in the state and three of those were convicted by the Placer County District Attorney's Office.