During an extensive county police investigation, authorities identified a suspected distributor operating in the Woodbridge area in conjunction with the DEA and FBI.
On May 11, the police department, DEA, and ATF executed a search warrant at the distributor’s home on Palm Road in Dale City. A suspect was arrested without incident during the raid.
Police found a small number of suspected fentanyl pressed counterfeit Percocet pills, marijuana, two firearms, and items consistent with narcotics distribution. The investigation further revealed the accused was found to have sold the 14-year-old victim who died the illicit narcotics, which contained fentanyl, police said.
However, the suspect cannot be connected to the death of the second teenager who died from an overdose, a 15-year-old Woodbridge teen. The investigation into that teen’s death continues, police said.
Latae’veion Naveiour Woods, 21, of 13711 Palm Road in Dale City, is charged with distributing a schedule I or II narcotics. His court date is Pending, and the police did not have information about his bond status.
Case background
On Sunday, April 24, shortly before 6 p.m., police were called to a home in Woodbridge involving a 15-year-old boy. The second was before 10 a.m. Tuesday, April 26, at home in Dale City, involving a 14-year-old boy.
Shortly after the two teenagers were found, police suspected their deaths to be connected to counterfeit forms of the drug Percocet, sometimes referred to as “Perc30.” The fake medicines in both recent incidents were preliminarily tested and confirmed as being laced with fentanyl.
Fentanyl is known to be fatal, even in the smallest doses, if the effects of an overdose are not recognized and treated immediately.
While the investigations into the two recent deaths are ongoing, investigators have strong suspicions the victims overdosed after having consumed the fentanyl-laced narcotic. Investigators are awaiting the official cause of death, pending toxicology results from the Medical Examiner’s Office.
The Prince William County Police Department offers medication disposal boxes at each of the three district stations in the county for residents to dispose of narcotics safely, no questions asked.
Synthetic opioid deaths a crisis
According to the CDC, in 2019, 70,630 people in the U.S. died from drug overdoses — 4% more than in 2018. Opioids–mainly synthetic opioids (other than methadone)–are currently the main driver of drug overdose deaths.
A total of 72.9% of opioid-involved overdose deaths involved synthetic opioids. Opioids were involved in 49,860 overdose deaths in 2019 (70.6% of all drug overdose deaths.
