Animal News

Fentanyl dealer in Carrollton arrested after pills found in microwave

On the street, blue fentanyl pills can be referred to as "M30s" (a reference to the markings on some of the pills), "blues," "perks," "yerks," "china girls," or "TNT."

USDOJ

A top supplier of fentanyl in a case in Carrollton that has resulted in four deaths has been arrested and charged with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.

According to a release from the U.S. Department of Justice/U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton, Julio Gonzales, Jr., 18, was charged with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and arrested at his residence on July 20. His roommate Adrian Martinez-Leon, 19, was also arrested, and charged with drug conspiracy.

During a search of their residence, DEA agents found:

thousands of fentanyl-laced M-30 pills stuffed in the microwave
a partial kilogram of cocaine tucked in a plastic food storage container
bulk U.S. currency hidden in the closet
numerous firearms, including a pistol equipped with an illegal Glock switch, littered throughout the home

Gonzales and Martinez-Leon are the 9th and 10th defendants charged in an ongoing juvenile fentanyl case in Carrollton which has resulted in at least 14 juvenile overdoses and claimed the lives of four middle and high school students.

According to the complaint, in February 2023, a 16-year-old dealer who delivered fentanyl pills that killed a 14-year-old girl in December 2022 allegedly identified Gonzales — whom he called "J-Money" — as his supplier. In text messages, the 16-year-old discussed J-Money with Eduardo Navarrete, one of the first dealers who has already been charged in this scheme.

At least four other cooperating defendants also allegedly identified J-Money as their source and tied him to an address in Oak Cliff. Three identified a photograph of Gonzales as J-Money, and one told agents that thousands of pills sold during a DEA-controlled operation were from Gonzales — deals that were corroborated via Instagram messages.

In June 2023, agents observed Gonzales allegedly conduct a drug transaction with a subject who ducked into a nearby alleyway, crushed the pills, and smoked them. They also observed Martinez-Leon allegedly conduct a transaction outside their front door.

If convicted, Gonzales and Martinez-Leon face up to 40 years in federal prison.

The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Dallas Field Office, the Dallas Police Department's SWAT team, and the Carrollton Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rick Calvert and Phelesa Guy are prosecuting the case.

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Politics News

Dallas narrows down field for new city manager to 4 candidates

Photo by R K on Unsplash

This is an Dallasite's sign to launch that small business they've been dreaming of.

After six months without a city manager, the city of Dallas has narrowed down the field of replacements to four semifinalists including one serving as current interim city manager, plus candidates from Fort Worth, Michigan, and Georgia.

Dallas has been without a city manager since May, when previous city manager T.C. Broadnax left to take a job with the city of Austin. Since that time, Broadnax's former chief of staff Kimberly Bizor Tolbert has served as interim city manager.

The city retained Baker Tilly, a consulting firm, to recruit and compile candidates. (Baker Tilly famously erred in the brochure it created for the position by featuring a photo of the Houston skyline instead of Dallas; they've since replaced it with Dallas.)

A spokesperson for Baker Tilly did not respond to inquiries but according to D Magazine, an email listing the candidates has been sent to the Dallas City Council.

The semifinalists include:

Kimberly Bizor Tolbert, Dallas’ current interim city manager
William Johnson, an assistant city manager in Fort Worth
Mark Washington, the city manager of Grand Rapids, Michigan
Zachary Williams, a county chief operating officer in Georgia

All have more than 25 years' of public administration experience and have worked in similar capacities in their respective cities.

Before working in Fort Worth, Johnson was Baltimore’s transportation director and Atlanta’s deputy chief operating officer and public works commissioner.

Washington worked in Fort Worth and Austin before becoming Grand Rapids’ city manager.

Williams has mostly worked in Georgia at the county level, including serving as county manager in Fulton County and chief operating officer in DeKalb County.

Tolbert began working for the city in 1998, first as the city manager’s assistant and later in the aviation department. Broadnax hired her as his chief of staff in 2017.

Unlike the Mayor and the Dallas City Council, the city manager position in Dallas is not elected but is instead appointed by the city council, and is tasked with executing policies, overseeing the annual budget, and managing staff at city hall.

The council’s Ad Hoc Committee will choose finalists, introduce them to the public, and make an offer in early 2025.

politics