Another SLO County woman facing charges in a fentanyl overdose death
A San Luis Obispo County woman has been arrested and accused of distributing fentanyl that resulted in the overdose death of a victim last May, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Paso Robles resident Jessica Leigh Alalia, 30, otherwise known as “Jessica Mitchell,” was arrested Tuesday and arraigned Wednesday afternoon at United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles alongside her boyfriend, 37-year-old Paso Robles resident Damian Naudh Lagunas-Garcia.
The arrest came as a San Luis Obispo woman remained on trial for murder in connection with another fatal fentanyl overdose two years ago. Brandi Turner is accused of selling the fentanyl that killed Quinn Hall in 2022.
On May 6, 2023, Alalia intentionally distributed fentanyl to a victim identified in court documents as “R.S.,” who died of an overdose, according to the Jan. 11 indictment, the release said.
The grand jury indictment further alleged that Alalia and Lagunas-Garcia conspired with each other to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl from January to August 2023, using their Paso Robles home to pack, store and distribute drugs.
According to the release, Alalia and Lagunas-Garcia coordinated with each other through coded text messages to discuss drug sales.
Alalia was charged with one count of distribution of fentanyl resulting in death, while both defendants were charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, one count of knowingly maintaining a drug-involved premises, two counts of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, two counts of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and one count of possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes, the release said.
If convicted, Alalia and Lagunas-Garcia each would face a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison, with Alalia facing an additional mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for the count of distribution of fentanyl resulting in death, the release said.
Lagunas-Garcia would face a mandatory minimum of 10 years in federal prison for the drug conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine counts.
Both Alalia and Lagunas-Garcia pleaded not guilty to all charges and will remain in federal custody through their detention hearings Jan. 22 and trial on March 12, the release said.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Overdose Justice Task Force and the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Daniel H. Weiner and Alexandra Michael.
