He sold fentanyl to Bullard High student who OD’d. Now Fresno man, 19, going to prison

A 19-year-old Fresno man is heading to prison for three years for selling oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl to a Bullard High School student.

Fabian Garcia-Palacio was sentenced in federal court on Friday for illegally distributing fentanyl to a minor, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Court records show that in March of last year, Garcia-Palacio sold the fake oxycodone to a student at Bullard High School. That student used one pill and overdosed. The student survived after receiving life-saving medical treatment.

While investigating the overdose, investigators searched Garcia-Palacio’s residence and found additional fentanyl pills.

He was charged with distributing fentanyl to a person under 21 years of age, and pleaded guilty in May.

The case was investigated as part of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge, or SOS, a program started by the Justice Department in 2018 to reduce the supply of synthetic opioids and identifying wholesale distribution networks and international and domestic suppliers. The program is being used in the Eastern District of California, which includes Fresno,, and nine other federal districts.

Earlier this month, Fresno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp joined prosecutors from around the state in issuing a warning about the dangers of fentanyl and calling for stronger punishments for dealers.

Smittcamp said law enforcement officials seized about 5,000 fentanyl pills in 2020. Last year, she added, that number surged to 25,000 pills.

Fentanyl is particularly dangerous because it’s often disguised as Percocet or other prescription drugs, and even tiny amounts can be deadly. Fentanyl-related deaths rose in Fresno County from two in 2018 to nearly 40 in 2021, Smittcamp said.

This story was originally published January 29, 2022 at 5:00 AM.