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Fentanyl dealers could be charged with murder if buyer overdoses

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Published 6:47 AM

ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) - Some southern California prosecutors are stepping up charges against those who sell deadly, fentanyl-laced illegal drugs.

District Attorney Todd Spitzer plans to issue an admonishment in plea deals warning that a dealer found to be involved in another fentanyl sale that results in death could be charged with murder.

This comes as nearby Riverside and San Bernardino counties have already starting charging alleged dealers with murder, and so have San Luis Obispo and Contra Costa Counties.

The move comes as drug-related deaths are expected to hit a record of 100,000 this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Federal prosecutors have charged suspected fentanyl dealers with murder but it’s not as easy to do under state law as some California lawmakers have proposed bills to treat fentanyl as a more threatening drug.

A press conference has been called for Tuesday to discuss the plan for Orange County with 3 million people.

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April Hettinger

April was born and raised in San Diego where she loved the beach town and her two dogs, Lexi and Malibu. She decided to trade the beach for the snow and advanced her education at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff.

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