KTLA

Menifee man charged in 2 fatal fentanyl overdoses

Rainbow fentanyl pills come in bright colors and are meant to look like candy, DEA officials said. (DEA/KLAS)

A Menifee man was arrested on Friday on allegations he provided fentanyl to two people who later died of overdoses within days of each other.

Edward Hernandez, 24, was charged last month with one count of distribution of fentanyl resulting in death and one count of distribution of fentanyl to a person under the age of 21 resulting in death, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release.

The fatal overdoses occurred in April 2020, officials said.

First, on April 11, 2020, a victim identified as “R.R.” overdosed the day after “Hernandez knowingly and intentionally distributed fentanyl” to them, officials said.

Then, on April 23, 2020, a person under the age of 21 identified only as “T.G.” overdosed, two days after they received fentanyl from Hernandez, the DOJ said.

Hernandez is scheduled to be arraigned in Riverside Friday afternoon.