An alleged drug dealer in Carrollton is accused of advertising fentanyl to children charged with a federal drug offense.

DALLAS. An alleged drug dealer in Carrollton accused of profiting from the arrest of two fentanyl dealers to advertise fentanyl to minors has been charged with a federal drug offense.

The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas said the suspect, 20-year-old Donovan Jude Andrews, was arrested Wednesday in Carrollton and charged with conspiracy to possess to distribute a controlled substance.

Court documents say Andrews allegedly commented on an Instagram post that reported the arrest of two traffickers, Luis Navarrete and Magali Cano, in early February 2023.

Using the Instagram handle “deegetbandz_3x,” Andrews wrote that the two dealers “took all the ATTENTION” off the police and said he was selling M/30, fentanyl, pills for $10 each.

He later shared an Instagram post about the overdose deaths of three minors linked to two dealers and added the caption “Fuxk em come get em”.

Shortly thereafter, police said that a 14-year-old girl who had suffered an apparent overdose of fentanyl told law enforcement that she had bought five M/30 pills from Andrews. Home surveillance footage reportedly captured the delivery. A fragment of the video was attached to the criminal case.

Police say they later saw him making hand-to-hand transactions on the street and found an 18-year-old high school student who admitted to buying pills from Andrews.

A search warrant was executed at Andrews’ home on February 28, the criminal complaint said, but he was not there, and Andrews’ mother told police that he had moved out a day or two before.

That same day, the complaint states that police found a Toyota Camry previously seen outside Andrews’ home, driven by a 17-year-old boy with Andrews in the car.

Police continued to monitor the Camry, as detailed in the complaint, and on March 1, Carrollton police stopped the car. The probable reason for the search of the vehicle showed that the 17-year-old had an M/30 tablet in the driver’s side door, and Andrews was found with a plastic bag filled with fake M/30 tablets in his right sock. Both were arrested, and shortly thereafter, field trials of the pills tested positive for fentanyl.

The 17-year-old was questioned and told police he would drive Andrews in exchange for one to two M/30 tablets a day, the complaint said. He also told police that Andrews’ Instagram handle was “deegetbandz_3x”.

Andrews later admitted to selling the pills through an Instagram account, police said, and also told police that he delivered the pills to two girls.

“Most of us recoiled in horror when we learned that nine Carrollton children suffered ten fentanyl overdoses in just six months. Mr. Andrews, on the other hand, allegedly seized on the situation as a marketing opportunity. Knowing full well that fentanyl was killing our children, he allegedly tried to turn survivors into clients, ”said US Attorney Leiga Simonton. “The Department of Justice is working tirelessly to investigate and prosecute fentanyl traffickers. But when we arrest one dealer, another inevitably appears in his place. We need the community’s help to educate our children about the dangers of fentanyl. One pill – or even half or a quarter of one pill – can kill.”

Andrews could spend up to 20 years in federal prison if found guilty.