President Donald Trump’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement lodged a detainer against an illegal alien accused of dealing fentanyl pills linked to the overdoses of two Virginia high school students. Loudoun County authorities arrested 31-year-old Isaac Melendez-Carranza following an investigation into the incidents at Park View High School. Both students survived after receiving Narcan. Melendez-Carranza was already subject to a final removal order when deputies took him into custody.
The case began after the two Park View students suffered suspected fentanyl overdoses in May. The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office Drug and Gang Unit investigated the suspected distribution and identified Melendez-Carranza as an alleged dealer connected to the incidents. Deputies arrested him on August 20th after executing search warrants. The sheriff’s office publicly announced the arrest on August 24th.
Melendez-Carranza faces two counts of distribution of a controlled substance and one count of selling drugs near certain properties. He remains held without bond at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center. Authorities have not publicly identified the two students involved in the overdoses. The sheriff’s office said additional arrests remain possible, although authorities have not provided a timetable.
As Breitbart News reported, deputies seized suspected narcotics and U.S. currency during the searches. The charge involving the sale of drugs near certain properties is a separate felony under Virginia law. The statute covers distribution on school grounds and on public property or property open to public use within 1,000 feet of a school. A conviction carries a possible sentence of one to five years and a fine of up to $100,000.
Melendez-Carranza is a Salvadoran national who entered the country illegally a decade before his latest arrest, according to information the Department of Homeland Security provided to Fox News. U.S. Border Patrol arrested him near Hebbronville, Texas, on May 3rd, 2016, after he crossed the Rio Grande. He was released on bond on July 13th of that year. An immigration judge later issued a final removal order against him on July 18th, 2024.
DHS said authorities encountered Melendez-Carranza in Sterling, Virginia, on August 16th, 2024, but no immigration-enforcement action was taken. ICE lodged its current detainer with the Loudoun County jail on August 20th, the day of his arrest. The detainer asks local authorities to turn him over to federal custody if he is released. “ICE will work to ensure this criminal is REMOVED from our nation,” DHS said following the arrest.
Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman said investigators recovered what appeared to be a substantial supply of fentanyl pills. “We found that the subject in question, Isaac Melendez-Carranza, actually had over 100 fentanyl pills with him at the time, in addition to several thousand dollars,” Chapman said. The sheriff added, “So, looked to me like he was getting ready to do another delivery to somebody.”
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The two Park View students survived because Narcan was administered during their overdoses, according to authorities. Narcan, a brand of naloxone, can rapidly reverse the effects of an opioid overdose when administered in time. The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office warned that illicit pills may contain fentanyl without the person taking them knowing what is inside. “Fentanyl is an extremely potent synthetic opioid, and even a small amount can cause a fatal overdose,” the department said. “If you suspect someone is experiencing an overdose, call 911 immediately.”
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