For families wrecked by fake fentanyl pills, a glimmer of hope for justice

ORLANDO, Fla. — Laura Linares said life changed for her on Sep. 15, 2023, when she lost her 19-year-old son Noah to drugs.

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Noah Polanco had big dreams, Linares said. Other family members described him as joyful, a student at Valencia College and into video games.

They said he thought he had purchased Xanax from a dealer. He was taken to the hospital after consuming one of the pills. He never woke up.

“How do you explain to a 7-year-old you’re never going to see your brother again?” Linares said through tears.

Wednesday was painful for Linares, but also joyful as prosecutors announced the dealer who gave the unknowing Polanco fentanyl pills faced life in prison.

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The breakup of the “Respect Money Structure/Everybody Killer” gang resulted in 11 arrests, including three people who face murder charges for dealing deadly drugs.

Families of the other two victims, Carlos Peña and Samuel Frederick, also gathered around the podium, holding up pictures of the men.

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Operation Dirty 30 (Nick Papantonis/WFTV)

[The doctor] proceeds to tell me how Sam had taken a single pill,” his sister, Alison Frederick recalled. “When the ambulance was called, he was no longer with us. He didn’t have a heartbeat.”

Frederick, who now runs half marathons in honor of her brother, sighed with relief when asked what the announcement meant to her.

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“It’s been a long one,” she said, of the journey since her brother’s death. “There’s no fully recovering from a loss like this, so we have just been trying to stay strong for him and keeping his legacy alive.”

The three facing murder charges include Jeremiah Maldonado, Benjamin Rivard and Elena Falzone. None of the three have significant criminal histories, though Rivard was serving out a 20-month prison sentence.

The leader of the gang, Christian Roux-Rey, founded it seven years ago, deputies said. It landed on law enforcement’s radar in January 2023.

Roux-Rey is not charged with murder but is facing racketeering and drug charges. He’s also facing an additional charge as the group’s organizer.

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