Two Men Sentenced for Their Roles in Fentanyl Overdose Death of 17-Year-Old

Two men who distributed fentanyl that caused the death of a seventeen-year-old boy were sentenced to federal prison on September 29, 2025, announced Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Nancy E. Larson.  

Tecose Dchaz Martin, 38, of Mesquite, Texas, was sentenced to 360 months in federal prison for his role in distributing fentanyl that led to the teen’s death, an offense to which he pled guilty in July 2025.  In addition to this offense, his criminal history includes numerous prior drug felony convictions.  Connor Miller, 22, of Richardson, Texas, likewise pled guilty in May 2025 to aiding and abetting the distribution of fentanyl resulting in the seventeen-year-old’s death.  Miller was sentenced to 151 months in federal prison.  Senior United States District Judge David C. Godbey sentenced both men.  

According to plea documents and evidence presented in Court at sentencing, on January 30, 2024, Miller contacted co-defendant Jesse Medina, also known as “Plug,” to purchase fentanyl.  Medina agreed to sell Miller the pills.  Miller and a seventeen-year-old boy then travelled to meet Medina at a location on Harry Hines Boulevard in Dallas, Texas.  Once there, Medina sold Miller and the teenager four fentanyl pills in exchange for $40.  Miller and the teen travelled back to Miller’s residence, where they crushed up and used the fentanyl pills Medina had provided.  The seventeen-year-old died after using the fentanyl.  A review of the teen’s medical records revealed that he would not have died but for ingesting the fentanyl.     

Electronic evidence gathered during the investigation allowed investigators to trace the fentanyl pills sold by Medina to Tecose Dchaz Martin, a/k/a “Blues Man.”  Evidence presented in court revealed that Martin told a person identified as Moe, “We can get rich off blues [fentanyl pills],” about 10 minutes after sending Moe a message that contained a link to a news story from Denver, Colorado.  

Information presented in court also revealed that Martin purchased fentanyl pills in quantities of 1,000 for $1.50 to $1.60 per pill.  Martin then sold those pills to lower-level dealers such as Jesse Medina in varying quantities for $2 to $5 per pill.  Martin admitted that he liked to sell fentanyl pills in larger quantities because he felt that there was “more chance of somebody O.D.’ing [overdosing]” for people who purchase four or five pills at a time.  As such, Martin told officers he “didn’t really doodle in five and four” because he would rather have someone else deal with “all that.” 

At the time of Martin’s arrest, officers located 88 fentanyl pills on Martin’s person, 805 fentanyl pills at his apartment, and two firearms.  Court records reflect that Martin had multiple prior drug-related felony convictions, including a 2017 state court conviction for manufacturing or delivering a controlled substance in a drug-free zone.  Martin received a 25-year sentence for that offense and was on parole at the time that he was selling fentanyl to Jesse Medina and others. 

“Lengthy prison sentences are one step in our continuing fight against the deadly consequences of fentanyl trafficking,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Nancy E. Larson.  “Every trafficker removed from the drug trade is a victory for our community.  I commend the tireless work of our law enforcement partners in this investigation, which enabled my office to bring these defendants to justice.  Our efforts won’t stop until the flood of deadly drugs into our community stops.”

“Fentanyl is the single deadliest drug threat our nation has ever encountered,” said Joseph B. Tucker, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Dallas Field Division. “The sentences handed down to Mr. Miller and Mr. Martin is a clear message the production and trafficking of fentanyl will not be tolerated in our neighborhoods.  DEA and all our law enforcement partners, such as the Richardson Police Department and the United States Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Texas, will continue to work together to keep this poison off our streets.”

“This sentencing sends a strong and necessary message to those who peddle poison in our communities: actions that result in the loss of life will be met with the full force of justice,” said Richardson Police First Assistant Chief Michael Bussiere. “We are proud to have worked alongside our federal, state, and local partners in bringing this case to a just conclusion.  While no sentence can undo the heartbreak suffered by the victim’s family, we hope this outcome provides some measure of accountability and peace.”

The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Dallas Field Division and the Richardson Police Department conducted the investigation of this case with the Hickory Creek Police Department, the Dallas Police Department, the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office, the Mesquite Police Department, and the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations Section.  Special assistance was provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Cellular Analysis Survey Team.   The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney George Leal.