[Forfeit reparations...] Indiana black teen charged with using Snapchat to sell fentanyl that caused overdoses, 1 death

[Leroy N. Soetoro]

<https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/05/19/jeremial-leach-
indicted-by-federal-grand-jury-fentanyl-overdoses-evansville-elisabeth-
duncan/70238000007/>

EVANSVILLE — An Indiana teen accused of using Snapchat to sell fentanyl-
laced pills that led to at least three overdoses and killed a 19-year-old
last year was indicted on federal charges, officials said Friday.

Jeremial Leach, 19, allegedly advertised counterfeit pills on his social
media. Two women and a minor boy who authorities say bought pills from
Leach all overdosed, and one of the women died, according to the U.S.
Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Indiana. Authorities also
caught Leach selling the drugs to two other minor boys and later recovered
fentanyl, cash and weapons at his house.

<https://www.mywabashvalley.com/wp-
content/uploads/sites/62/2023/05/Jeremial-Leach_1665581856.jpg?w=720>

Leach, who went by "Mel" on Snapchat and other social media, was indicted
by a grand jury on one count of distribution of fentanyl resulting in
death, two counts of distribution of fentanyl, and one count of possession
with intent to distribute fentanyl. He faces up to life in federal prison
if convicted.

The indictment comes as officials across the nation are attempting to
crack down on the rampant sale of illegal drugs happening on social media
platforms.

NURSE STOLE FENTANYLFlorida nurse pleads guilty to stealing nearly 450
vials of fentanyl and replacing them with saline

Defendant used Snapchat to sell drugs, prosecutors say
According to a criminal complaint, Evansville Police Department detectives
determined Leach's pills, which allegedly contained fentanyl, killed 19-
year-old Elisabeth Duncan in June 2022. In the aftermath of her death,
investigators compiled a trove of digital evidence from Duncan's phone and
the phones of other overdose victims.

Leach put himself on police radar through his brazen social media posts,
according to court records. Investigators followed Leach's Snapchat with
an undercover account and saw his posts "advertising the sale of
marijuana, blue pills, and firearms," according to the complaint.

The blue pills were fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone, and
investigators said multiple overdose victims believed Leach's fentanyl
pills to be genuine prescription medications.

LEACH TIED TO ANOTHER CASE:Feds claim accused fentanyl trafficker
Deriontai Mathis stashed drugs in toy car

The people who overdosed communicated with Leach through Snapchat and text
messages, according to the complaint.

"My mother overdosed the other night your shit is laced with fentanyl...
she's lucky to be alive right now," the daughter of a woman who overdosed
texted Leach, court records show.

Investigators searched Leach's residence and said they recovered the
following items:

33 blue pills marked "M 30" (the code used by the company Mallinckrodt
Pharmaceuticals to denote genuine oxycodone tablets)
Digital scale
Glock 19, 9mm handgun
Diamondback DB9, 9mm handgun
Four telephones
About $1,843 in cash
Leach's attorney, Conor O'Daniel, declined to comment on the charges.

Social media sites commonly used for illegal sales
Fake prescription pills are easily obtained online on social media and e-
commerce platforms, officials say. The rise of social media has made it so
drug sales are no longer relegated to street corners and the dark web. The
DEA said it investigated 80 cases of illegal drug sales through social
media apps in 2021 nationwide.

"(C)riminal drug networks are abusing social media to expand their reach,
create new markets, and target new clientele," according to the DEA. "This
includes by selling deadly fake fentanyl and methamphetamine pills, often
to unsuspecting teenagers, young adults, and older Americans, who think
they are buying the real thing."

The DEA said drug traffickers advertise by posting "stories" that
disappear after a short amount of time on platforms such as Facebook,
Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. They often use code
words and emojis for different illegal drugs so they aren't detected by
authorities or social media moderators. For example, a blue circle emoji
or the letter "P" might symbolize oxycodone and Percocet.

DRUG DISTRIBUTION SCHEMEVirginia doctor charged with prescribing tens of
thousands of oxycodone pills in distribution plot

A bipartisan group of members of Congress is hoping to establish federal
requirements for social media companies to report fentanyl sales happening
on their platforms to authorities with the Cooper Davis Act, named after a
Kansas teen who died of an overdose on fentanyl-laced pills purchased on
Snapchat. Opponents, including the ACLU, warn the measure incentivizes
social media companies to surveil and censor users' speech on the
platforms, leading to over-censorship of vulnerable groups.

"Tragically, we’ve seen the role that social media plays in that by making
it easier for young people to get their hands on these dangerous drugs –
we have to put a stop to it now," said New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen,
a co-sponsor of the legislation.

Fentanyl continues to drive surge in overdoses
According to the DEA and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, ingesting as little as two milligrams of fentanyl can be
fatal, depending on a person’s body size, tolerance and past usage.

DEA studies found that about six out of every 10 illegal fentanyl tablets
sold in the United States contain a potentially lethal dose of the drug.


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No collusion - Special Counsel Robert Swan Mueller III, March 2019.
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Thank you for cleaning up the disaster of the 2008-2017 Obama / Biden
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Under Barack Obama's leadership, the United States of America became the
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President Trump boosted the economy, reduced illegal invasions, appointed
dozens of judges and three SCOTUS justices.