Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon (619) 546-6720
News release summary — October 19, 2022
SAN DIEGO — Cole Thomas Salazar has been sentenced to 120 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Cathy Ann Bencivengo for supplying a lethal dose of powdered fentanyl that resulted in the death of 24-year-old Sarah Elizabeth Fazel on November 3, 2020. was sentenced.
According to his plea bargain, Salazar used an online classifieds service to sell controlled substances. After communicating with her Fuzzell online, Salazar sold her fentanyl on November 2, 2020, after which she died of this fentanyl. On January 10, 2021, law enforcement arrested Salazar and found packages of heroin and fentanyl on his body.
A search of a nearby hotel room turned up dozens of controlled substances, including fentanyl and dealer paraphernalia such as scales, buggies and payment forms. The plea bargain provides Salazar with a commission for the crime of distributing fentanyl resulting in death and/or serious injury. The arrest was featured on HBO’s “The Crime of the Century.”
Addison is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Bencivengo on November 16, 2022.
“Our community lost a feisty, intelligent 24-year-old victim to fentanyl powder,” said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman. “The dangers of powdered fentanyl cannot be overemphasized. If you are a drug dealer and choose to ignore the extreme risks of selling powdered fentanyl, our office will I will sue you for death resulting from the sale.
“Drug dealers like Salazar must be held accountable for the rise in fentanyl-related deaths we’ve seen in the San Diego community,” said DEA Special Agent Sherry Howe. “There is no place for counterfeit pills and powdered fentanyl in San Diego. We will continue to bring those who sell these drugs to justice.”
“The sentence imposed on the lethal dose of potent fentanyl that led to the tragic death of a young man sends a clear message to drug criminal drug dealers,” said Chad, special agent at HSI San Diego. Plantz said, “There are serious consequences to peddling these dangerous substances. Together with our law enforcement partners, HSI will continue to seek out and bring to justice those involved in drug overdoses of all kinds.” .”
The case is the result of ongoing efforts by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, and the Drug Enforcement Administration to investigate and prosecute the distribution of dangerous illegal drugs, especially fentanyl, that lead to overdose deaths. . The Drug Enforcement Administration created the Overdose Response Team in response to the rising number of overdose deaths in San Diego County. Investigators from the DEA’s overdose response team led the investigation into Fazel’s death.
defendant Case number 21cr3518-CAB
Cole Thomas Salazar Age: 32 San Diego, California
Valerie Lynn Addison Age: 40 San Diego, California
Pricing overview
Salazar:
Possession for Distribution (Fentanyl) – Title 18, US Code, Section 841(a)(1)
Maximum penalty: 20 years imprisonment
Addison:
Possession for Distribution (Fentanyl and Methamphetamine) – Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 841(a)(1)
Maximum penalty: 20 years imprisonment
agency
Drug Enforcement Administration
homeland security investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
California Department of Health
San Diego Sheriff’s Office
san diego police department
San Diego County District Attorney’s Office
