‘M30 King of Fresno’ Pleads Guilty to Distributing Deadly Fentanyl-Laced Pills

Brightly colored counterfeit M30 oxycodone pills. Courtesy of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration

The self-proclaimed ‘M30 King of Fresno’ pleaded guilty on Tuesday to distributing thousands of fentanyl-laced pills from Mexico to drug dealers in California and other states, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Eastern District Office.

Horacio Torrecillas Urias Jr., 23, was one of 18 defendants charged by a grand jury in April 2022 in a 21-count indictment for allegedly illegally trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, and illegally possessing firearms.

He pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges related to distributing and possessing fentanyl and methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Phillip Talbert announced.

The other 17 defendants were charged with crimes related to selling and possessing synthetic opioids. All but one of the defendants have pleaded guilty to the drug charges.

The remaining co-defendant, Alma Garza, 23, of Fresno, is set to go to trial on Sept. 24. Garza is charged with conspiracy to distribute and to possess, with the intent to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine and the distribution of fentanyl.

The series of drug charges resulted from an investigation into a number of fentanyl pill overdoses in the Fresno area. The overdoses were caused by victims ingesting counterfeit oxycodone tablets–called M30–which were laced with fentanyl, according to the attorney’s office.

Similar to real oxycodone tablets, the fake pills are small, round, and light blue or green, with “M” stamped on one side and “30” on the other.

During the investigation to find the source of the fentanyl-laced pills, detectives searched for the drug dealers believed to have supplied the deadly pills in the community.

Authorities said the operation uncovered a large drug trafficking ring allegedly led by Urias.

Urias allegedly got the M30 pills from sources in Mexico and distributed them to drug dealers inside and outside of California, according to the attorney’s office.

During the investigation, federal, state, and local law enforcement agents conducted traffic stops, intercepted packages, and searched several homes. As a result, authorities seized more than 55,000 fake M30 fentanyl pills, six pounds of fentanyl powder, 10 pounds of methamphetamine, one pound of cocaine, 25 firearms, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, the press release states.

Urias is scheduled for sentencing by U.S. District Judge Jennifer Thurston on Dec. 2. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Fentanyl-laced fake pills are responsible for several deadly overdoses in Fresno County each year, according to the county’s district attorney. In 2021, Fresno County recorded 114 fentanyl-related deaths. That number dropped to 98 in 2022 and 94 in 2023.

Nationwide this year, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has seized nearly 36 million fentanyl pills in the U.S. and more than 5,000 pounds of fentanyl powder, the agency reported.

In 2023, the DEA seized a record 79.5 million fentanyl pills, which exceeded the 2022 total of 58 million pills.

The DEA estimates seven out of every 10 pills seized by agents contain a lethal dose of fentanyl.