Los Angeles, California – Federal officials announced Thursday that 20 criminal cases have been filed so far in 2025 against individuals accused of distributing fentanyl or fentanyl-laced pills that directly resulted in fatal overdoses across Southern California.
The charges stem from the ongoing work of the OD Justice Task Force, a collaborative initiative led by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to investigate overdose deaths and identify those responsible for distributing the lethal drugs. The task force operates throughout the seven counties of the Central District of California and works closely with local law enforcement, often the first responders to overdose scenes. DEA agents have provided specialized training to help these agencies preserve and analyze evidence that can support federal prosecutions.
The announcement comes amid a national fentanyl crisis. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 80,391 people in the United States died from drug overdoses in 2024, with the majority of those deaths involving fentanyl. Since the OD Justice initiative began in 2018, federal prosecutors in California have filed charges against 163 individuals accused of distributing drugs that resulted in fatal overdoses…