SAN ANTONIO – A Drug Enforcement Administration-led task force targeting fentanyl distribution and related violent crime is being launched in San Antonio after a recent investigation led to searches of three homes on the city’s West Side, federal and local authorities said Monday.
The investigation focused on homes in the 1000 block of Torreon Street, where authorities said fentanyl was being distributed near local schools.
U.S. Attorney Justin Simmons said search warrants were executed at the three homes Oct. 1, resulting in multiple arrests. Three people — Valerie Samaniego, Alfredo Alejandro and Alejandro Reyes — were federally charged with possession with intent to distribute narcotics, Simmons said.
Samaniego was accused of possessing fentanyl and a handgun. Simmons said she admitted to investigators that she knew fentanyl could be deadly but said she only sold to people who could handle it.
Alejandro was accused of possessing methamphetamine, cocaine and a fentanyl-heroin mixture, along with a shotgun and an AR-15 rifle. Investigators also found scales and baggies at the home that were consistent with drug distribution, Simmons said.
Reyes was accused of possessing fentanyl and heroin and making hand-to-hand drug sales outside the residence, according to Simmons.
The three defendants face five to 40 years in federal prison if convicted, authorities said.
The homes targeted in the investigation were within 1,000 feet of De Zavala Elementary School and less than a mile from Lanier High School.
New overdose task force
The arrests are part of the first operation by the new DEA-led overdose task force, which brings together federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.
San Antonio Police Chief Jesse Salame said SAPD will dedicate five detectives to the task force. Their job will include responding to overdose calls, identifying investigative leads and developing cases that can be pursued with federal and local partners.
“This isn’t just about the overdose itself. It’s about getting to the people behind the drugs,” Salame said.
Salame said SAPD has responded to approximately 150 overdose calls per month this year.
The task force also will focus on gang-related violent crime. Simmons said investigators have found that local gangs play a significant role in distributing drugs on San Antonio streets.
The task force operates under the umbrella of the Homeland Security Task Force and is intended to use overdose investigations as leads for broader drug trafficking investigations.
Authorities said the goal is to trace drugs back to the people supplying them and disrupt trafficking networks operating in San Antonio neighborhoods.
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