South Texas man sentenced for selling fentanyl-laced pills causing death

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - A 22-year-old Corpus Christi man has been ordered to federal prison for delivery of fentanyl resulting in death, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

Ricardo Julyan Kross Rios aka Kross pleaded guilty July 26, 2023.

U.S. District Judge David S. Morales has now ordered Kross to serve 180 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by four years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence detailing the death of the 20-year-old male victim, found deceased on a living room sofa. He had fallen asleep there next to his girlfriend after a party. When she awoke the next morning, he was cold to the touch and not breathing. She immediately called 911 but paramedics were unable to resuscitate him. In handing down the sentence, Judge Morales noted that the circumstances of the case were tragic and that the loss of a life deserves a significant sentence.

"Falling asleep on a living room sofa should not become a death sentence, especially for a 20-year old beginning his journey into adulthood," said Hamdani. "Fentanyl-laced pills disguised as something else are killing our kids, and it's the mission of my office to hold everyone accountable - from the companies that supply the raw materials to the cartels that make the pills to the dealers that place them in the hands of America's youth. Those like Rios should take note, if your pill kills, we will not rest until justice is done."

On Dec. 10, 2022, authorities responded to a reported drug overdose in Corpus Christi and discovered a non-responsive individual pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy later determined the cause of death was acute fentanyl toxicity.

The investigation led to the discovery that the victim had purchased pills from Rios who delivered them Dec. 9, 2022, to the parking lot adjacent to an apartment where a party was occurring. The victim consumed them during that event.

Witnesses described the pills as "press made" hydrocodone pills which may have contained fentanyl.

On Jan. 17, 2023, law enforcement encountered Rios at a residence in Corpus Christi in possession of a plastic bag containing "pressed" pills as well as some additional loose powder and partial pills. Laboratory analysis later confirmed the pills and powder in the plastic bag did contain fentanyl.

Rios will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

The Drug Enforcement Administration led the cooperative law enforcement effort targeting fentanyl with the assistance of Homeland Security Investigations, Jim Wells County Sheriff's Office and police departments in Corpus Christi, Aransas Pass and Mathis. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert D. Thorpe Jr. prosecuted the case.