On February 6, 2024, a jury in Arapahoe County convicted Cesar Eduardo Mejia-Sanabria, 30, of the following offenses after a five-day trial:
Possession of Fentanyl with Intent to Sell/Distribute (Drug Felony Class 2) – 2 counts
Statute: 18-18-405(1),(2)(b)(I)(D)
Conspiracy to Sell/Distribute a Controlled Substance-Fentanyl (Drug Felony Class 3)
Statute: 18-18-405(1),(2)(b)(I)(D)
This criminal investigation was opened following the death of an Aurora high school student back in 2022.
Around 1:00 a.m. on December 11, 2022, officers with the Aurora Police Department were dispatched to a home in the 1500 block of S. Naples Street on a report of a suspicious child death. When officers arrived, they found a 14-year-old teenage boy unresponsive on the floor in the basement.
An autopsy report revealed the boy died from fentanyl toxicity. A forensic audit of the teen’s cell phone revealed a conversation to purchase fentanyl pills on the night he passed away. Investigators were able to trace the conversation to a telephone number registered to Mejia-Sanabria.
Acting in an undercover capacity, an officer texted Mejia-Sanabria to purchase drugs. The two agreed to meet at a nearby department store to exchange $350 for 100 fentanyl pills. Mejia-Sanabria and another woman were seen arriving at the department store location, and then left when the undercover officer stated they couldn’t meet.
Narcotics Investigators and Gang Unit Officers then initiated a traffic stop. Mejia-Sanabria and his passenger were immediately arrested on outstanding warrants, unrelated to the boy’s death. During a search of the vehicle, officers found fentanyl pills, methamphetamine, and drug paraphernalia.
“Drug dealers do not care who they sell this poison to,” Chief Deputy DA Chris Gallo said. “This defendant was in the business of making money. We will continue to prosecute offenders who engage in this criminal enterprise.”
Cesar Eduardo Mejia-Sanabria
Sentencing is set for April 1 at 3:00 p.m. He faces a maximum of 16 years in the Department of Corrections.
“Instead of writing off this case as a tragic overdose, I commend the Aurora Police Department for their in-depth investigative work in identifying a drug dealer selling poison on our streets,” District Attorney John Kellner said. “In order to save other lives, it’s a priority for my staff and I to go after dealers who push this poison.”
