First fentanyl case tried in Dallas County results in 30-year sentence
DALLAS - A 33-year-old man was sentenced to 30 years in prison in the first fentanyl dealing case tried in Dallas County.
Richard Leal was convicted of the manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance greater than or equal to 4 grams, but less than 200 grams.
According to the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office, this case goes back to February 18, 2023, when Dallas police were searching for a wanted suspect.
Leal was at the location officers were surveying, and after he left, officers followed him.
He was pulled over for traffic violations, and officers found Leal with a "shoulder satchel containing bags of cocaine, a bag with fentanyl pills, pill bottles with Alprazolam pills, a bag with methamphetamine pills, and a bag of marijuana."
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No further details were released about his arrest, but police said, during an interview, Leal admitted to getting thousands of pills and other drugs to sell.
"The conviction and sentencing of Mr. Leal underscore the grave threat that fentanyl poses to public health and safety. We must continue our collaborative efforts to educate the public about the risks associated with opioids and ensure access to life-saving interventions like Narcan," Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot said in a release.