The fentanyl crisis led to a dramatic intervention in one Texas town after sheriffs learned how exactly three people had allegedly exposed a barely three-week-old infant to the deadly drug.
Exacerbated by the introduction of synthetic fentanyl, America’s opioid crisis has raged under the open border policies of President Joe Biden. While Texas had endeavored to combat the problem at the state level through Operation Lone Star, the poison has permeated society and recently fentanyl smoke was allegedly blown in a 19-day-old child’s face “to pacify her cries.”
According to a release from the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office, “On Thursday, January 25, 2024, the Taylor County Narcotics Division conducted a traffic stop with four individuals and a 19-day old infant. The narcotics agent discovered the presence of Fentanyl in both the vehicle and the baby’s diaper bag.”
Through questioning of Robert Lee Mason, Jr., Jennifer Trevino and Aracely Daniella Rocha, law enforcement learned that the trio, said by KVII to be staying at the Frontier Inn & Suites in Abilene, Texas where they were pulled over, “…had been smoking fentanyl in the hotel room while the children were present. It was also discovered that Fentanyl smoke had been intentionally blown into the 19-day-old baby’s face to pacify her cries over the past several days.”
The report suggested that there were three other children present in addition to the infant and, “Child Protective Services was contacted and took custody of all children involved to include the 19-day old infant.”
As for the trio, each was charged with four counts of Second-Degree Felony Child Endangerment while Rocha, according to KVII, was hit with charges for possession of amphetamine and possession of fentanyl with bonds totaling over $100,000 for all three suspects individually.
Local, state and federal officials have all sounded the alarm as to the dangers of fentanyl poisoning, including for those who’ve not deliberately exposed themselves to the synthetic opioid as various other drugs have been laced with it and a minuscule amount is needed to prove fatal.
Data from the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) detailed that since Gov. Greg Abbott commenced Operation Lone Star in March 2021 through Dec. 15, 2023, law enforcement across the state had seized over 450 million lethal doses of fentanyl. To put that in perspective, they indicated it was “enough fentanyl to kill every man, woman and child in the United States.”
Other exposures to children have proved fatal as had been seen at a New York City daycare center in September when a 21-month-old died after he and other infants were exposed to the drug. Kilo presses used to combine fentanyl with other drugs had been discovered in the building along with a kilo of fentanyl itself. Officials have often stated as little as 2 milligrams could prove lethal.
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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