Man charged after allegedly giving fentanyl to Harris County teens

A man has been charged after giving fentanyl to Harris County teenagers in a case tied to the death of an 18-year-old.

Texas’s fentanyl murder-by-delivery law allows prosecutors to charge dealers with murder when a fatal dose is linked to a sale or delivery. That approach has already surfaced in the death of Jovan Cortez Ortiz, 18, who died in September 2023 after fentanyl-laced pills were involved; two Houston men were charged in March 2024, and a third suspect was later added to the case.

Fentanyl is especially dangerous because tiny amounts can kill, and teen cases often turn on how the drug was obtained and who passed it along. Investigators in these cases frequently reconstruct the chain through messages, social media contacts, purchase history and witness statements. In Harris County, that has meant murder charges can expand beyond one arrest as prosecutors trace the supply path from handoff to fatal overdose.

Suspected overdoses require immediate emergency attention. Call 911 right away, start CPR if the person has stopped breathing, and use Narcan or naloxone if it is available nearby. The county’s Substance Use Prevention program uses data to guide actions, track emerging trends and work with families, health care, education and public safety partners, while its Outreach team of community health workers connects residents with health and prevention efforts.

Harris County Public Health posts overdose-prevention materials in English and Spanish, including a “Preventing an Opioid Overdose” handout, and naloxone is the medicine that can reverse an opioid overdose, including one involving fentanyl. Residents looking for access points can use Texas Health Data’s naloxone distribution interactive map.