Todd Spitzer, Orange County District Attorney, announced Tuesday that his office will now push for murder charges against drug dealers convicted for peddling dope that leads to a death. Riverside County will also be adopting the effort. “Statewide, fentanyl deaths are up 1,513%. Rich, poor, Black, white, Brown, men, women, children, hardcore drug users and first-time drug users who are exposed have died,” said Spitzer.
If you’ve ever heard of the Watson-Waiver, Spitzer says the practice will work similarly. The Watson Waiver permits second-degree murder changes against convicted drunk drivers involved in a deadly crash. What separates the two is that the Watson Waiver has been approved by the state lawmakers and is established legal precedence.
There was an effort made earlier this year to pass a law against convicted drug dealers peddling fentanyl but didn’t make it beyond committee in Sacramento.
Mike Hestrin, Riverside County District Attorney, accompanied Spitzer in the announcement, saying his office has already filed seven such cases and has three more in the pipeline.
In addition to Hestrin and Spitzer, parents who have lost their children to lethal doses of fentanyl joined the news conference on Tuesday, demanding attention be drawn to the deadliness of the drug, especially in the case of counterfeits that are being illegally manufactured and trafficked into the country.
Fentanyl is being smuggled into the country in many ways. An Arizona family bought a Glo Worm toy from their local thrift store for their daughter and to their surprise, found 5,000 pills “believed to be fentanyl” inside.
450 deaths are pending a toxicology report that will determine the cause in the Orange County Sheriff’s Coroner’s Office. “[They’re] all going to be related to fentanyl,” Spitzer said with confidence. The drug is “cheap, it’s easy to get… [and is] 50 times more potent than morphine.” Additionally, the drug is easier to conceal because so little is needed for a high.
More recently, one of three men being held responsible for the distribution of fentanyl which lead to the death of beloved rapper Mac Miller accepted a plea deal and now faces 17 years in prison if the deal is accepted.