Police Arrest Another “Source of Supply” Linked to Carrollton Teen Fentanyl Use

Authorities have arrested a Flower Mound man who they allege served as the main source of supply of fentanyl to a trafficker linked to at least one teen overdose in Carrollton.

Stephen Paul Brinson, 18, was arrested on Wednesday and made his first appearance before a U.S. magistrate judge on Friday. Brinson is charged with conspiracy to distribute a schedule II controlled substance and is the fifth adult arrested in connection with the rash of fentanyl-related juvenile deaths and overdoses in the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District.

In a press release from the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Texas, Leigha Simonton, Carrollton police Chief Roberto Arredondo stated, “Taking this dealer out of the network puts a significant dent in the dealers’ ability to sell drugs to all DFW-area children. We remain committed to arresting those who put the lives of our children in danger.”

Brinson’s arrest comes one week after the arrest of Donovan Jude Andrews, the man law enforcement says Brinson supplied with fentanyl pills. Andrews was apprehended after being seen marketing drugs via social media and during in-person transactions with teens from R.L. Turner High School and Hebron High School. On March 3, a student was found unresponsive on the R.L. Turner campus after ingesting a pill, police said. The student recovered.

Authorities allege that Andrews was working to fill the drug-selling gap left by the February arrests of Luis Navarrete, Magalo Cano and Jason Villanueva. Navarrete and Cano were allegedly managing their illegal pill operation out of a rental house only a few blocks away from R.L. Turner High School. The ages of the victims police say either died or overdosed from pills bought from Navarrete, Cano and Villanueva range from 13 to 17 years old.

“Don’t meet people in front of the house or in view of the house.” – A note to Stephen Brinson from his father found by police.

tweet this

According to the press release, as Carrollton police searched Brinson’s Flower Mound home, they were greeted by a 19-year-old woman believed to be Brinson’s girlfriend who was “apparently under the influence of fentanyl.” With her help, officers located a pair of safes in the house, where they found multiple bags containing more than 1,000 counterfeit blue M30 pills designed to resemble and to be sold as prescription opioids such as Percocet or Oxycontin; the pills tested positive for fentanyl.

Police discovered an intriguing piece of evidence not likely found at many drug crime scenes. According to the press release, “On a console table at the bottom of the stairs, they also found a note from Mr. Brinson’s parents outlining chores they wanted him to do and warning him, “Don’t meet people in front of the house or in view of the house.” (Mr. Brinson’s father later told law enforcement he and his wife knew Stephen used fentanyl but claimed they did not know he was dealing pills in front of the home.)

Police also observed Brinson conducting in-person transactions, including one in which he carried an FN 5.7 pistol, which the statement says is also referred to as “cop killer,” and an AR-15 platform rifle.

If convicted, Brinson faces up to 20 years in federal prison.