ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A man accused of killing three others via fentanyl overdose after he sold them the drug when they thought they were purchasing cocaine has been arrested, Orlando police said Friday.
Officers with the Orlando Police Department responded to the 5800 block of Curry Ford Road on Nov. 29 and found three men dead inside an apartment, according to a news release. Due to the suspicious nature of the incident and evidence police said was found at the scene, the department’s overdose unit started to investigate the case.
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In less than a week, investigators said they identified 27-year-old José Alberto González Delgado as the person who sold the fentanyl to the victims.
In news conference held Friday morning at the department’s headquarters, Orlando Police Chief Orlando Rolón joined District Nine State Attorney Monique Worrell, District Two City Commissioner Tony Ortiz and investigators to discuss the crime.
“Many of the victims do not know they are purchasing fentanyl, poison,” Rolón said. “These drug dealers are either lacing the drugs they’re selling with fentanyl to stimulate the addiction and spike sales, or they’re simply swapping the drugs for this deadly drug.”
Lieutenant Michael Lanfersiek with the department’s Special Enforcement Division explained what police believe led to the sale of the fentanyl, citing physical evidence, surveillance video and witness statements.
“(González Delgado) further told a witness that the victim asked for cocaine, but that he was out of cocaine at the time. Jose González told the witness that he still needed to make money, so he sold them what he still had on him, which was fentanyl,” Lanfersiek said. “Jose González told the witness that they would never know the difference, and unfortunately this is proven to be deadly wrong.”
Ortiz commended detectives for finding and arresting González Delgado but said there remains more to discover and fix in the community.
“Those days of us keeping information to ourselves are over. We need to empower ourselves with knowledge of how government works, but more than that we must participate with the government and continue to help the Orlando Police Department and help those who are trying to make our community a better place to live,” Ortiz said. “This affects all of us, this is a tragedy.”
According to investigators, González Delgado is currently being held at the Orange County jail without bond.
Police said González Delgado is facing charges of delivery of a controlled substance and three counts of first-degree murder resulting from distribution of fentanyl, what Worrell said could net him three consecutive life sentences in prison if convicted to the fullest extent of the law.
“As I announced recently, we have started a Narcotics Unit, and the focus of that Narcotics Unit is to remove and incapacitate people who are bringing this deadly substance into our communities, or as Chief Rolón that better, this ‘poison,’” Worrell said. “While I cannot discuss the specific facts of this case, it is important to understand that we are committed to ensuring that we stop the overdose deaths by fentanyl in our community, that we protect our community from individuals who are seeking to harm our community for their own selfish gain.”
Worrell said this case was the first to be investigated by the department’s Narcotics Unit, which was started in November.