Illegal immigrant accused of fentanyl dealing linked to Virginia high school overdoses
An illegal immigrant from El Salvador with a 2024 deportation order was arrested in Virginia for allegedly distributing fentanyl near a high school, connected to student overdoses.
An illegal immigrant from El Salvador who was under a final deportation order was arrested last week in Virginia for allegedly selling fentanyl near a high school where students suffered overdoses earlier this year, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Isaac Melendez-Carranza, 31, was taken into custody on Aug. 20 and charged with distributing fentanyl within 1,000 feet of a school. He is being held without bond at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has lodged a detainer against him, meaning he will be transferred to federal immigration authorities after his local criminal case is resolved.
An immigration judge issued Melendez-Carranza a final order of removal on July 18, 2024, DHS said. Less than a month later, on Aug. 16, 2024, he was encountered in Sterling, Virginia, but no action was taken. The department attributed that lack of action to the previous administration.
Melendez-Carranza first entered the U.S. illegally via the Rio Grande and was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol near Hebbronville, Texas, on May 3, 2016. He was released on bond on July 13, 2016, according to DHS.
The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office identified Melendez-Carranza as a suspected drug dealer connected to overdoses involving Park View High School students in May. Deputies seized about 100 pills and approximately $1,000 in cash during a search of his home, according to FOX 5 DC.
Multiple students were hospitalized following suspected overdoses at the school in May. Loudoun County Public Schools confirmed at the time that two students suffered nonfatal suspected overdoses during school hours, and additional students were taken to a local hospital for evaluation after exhibiting symptoms. District officials said it was unclear whether the incidents were connected and could not immediately confirm whether controlled substances were involved.
Sheriff Mike Chapman called the case particularly alarming because the illicit drugs were reaching local students. He noted that Melendez-Carranza was in the country illegally and suggested that his presence may have contributed to the situation.
"He's here illegally," Chapman said. "I think he came in about 10 years ago. We shouldn't be here and maybe if he wasn't here this would not have happened, so we take that quite seriously. There is a detainer on him from ICE, so once he is done with his charges here, he will be released to ICE."
The sheriff's office said more arrests are possible, but no timetable was provided. DHS said that under the current administration, ICE is targeting the worst offenders, noting that nearly 70% of ICE arrests are of illegal aliens charged or convicted of a crime in the U.S.
