'M30 King of Fresno' pleads guilty to fentanyl charges

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Justice announced 23-year-old Horacio Torrecillas Urias Jr. agreed with prosecutors to plead guilty to a charge of distribution of fentanyl and one charge of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.

Urias is the self-proclaimed 'M30 King of Fresno.'

He was one of the high-profile arrests resulting from Homeland Security's October 2023 "Operation Killer High," named after ABC30's original documentary Killer High.

Urias faces a minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison.

"First of all it's going to save a lot of lives," said Flindt Andersen, founder of Parents and Addicts In Need.

Andersen says arrests and prosecutions like this help the greater cause of getting fentanyl off the streets.

"I obviously don't think that's enough but I obviously want to give credit to DEA and law enforcement for doing the investigation and getting this done and getting this guy put behind bars. It's critical," said Andersen.

Investigators say Urias was obtaining and distributing tens of thousands of counterfeit M30 fentanyl pills and large quantities of fentanyl powder, cocaine, and methamphetamine, which contributed to the spike in drug overdoses in and outside of California.

Operation Killer High resulted in charges for 17 other defendants.

All but one have now pleaded guilty. She is set for trial at the end of September.

"Whatever we can get off the street, whoever we can put in jail, that is always a good step," said Andersen.

Urias will be sentenced in December.

WATCH: Killer High: The Silent Crisis

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