Texas man receives nearly 13 years in prison for fentanyl distribution

MIDLAND, Texas - An Odessa, Texas man was sentenced to nearly 13 years in prison for distributing fentanyl in the Midland-Odessa region.

Jesus Arevalo, 44, pled guilty in September to one count of possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing fentanyl. He was sentenced Jan. 5 to 151 months in prison.

According to the US Attorney's office, DEA agents received information that Arevalo had received and distributed kilograms of cocaine and fentanyl in the region. This led to a joint FBI and DEA investigation where undercover agents made multiple purchases of blue M30 pills containing fentanyl from Arevalo.

READ MORE

• DEA: More than 379 million potentially lethal doses of fentanyl seized in 2022
• 'Rainbow fentanyl' warning: DEA says drug used to target young children
• Researchers in early stages of creating fentanyl vaccine to prevent overdoses
• 'Rainbow fentanyl' now found in 21 states, including Texas

A search warrant was executed on Arevalo's home in July 2022 and investigators seized around 517 grams of M30 pills containing fentanyl, a loaded handgun, and a large amount of US currency. 

Further investigation revealed that Arevalo had received and distributed at least 2,000 M30 pills containing fentanyl each month in the six months leading up to the search, totaling at least 12,000 pills.

He has been in federal custody since his arrest on July 28, 2022.

In 2022, the DEA seized more than 50.6 million fake pills often laced with fentanyl, more than double the amount of fentanyl pills seized in 2021.