Couple Who Sold Large Quantities Of Fentanyl Sentenced To Supervision

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — A couple who sold large quantities of fentanyl in the Riverside metropolitan area was on probation Thursday.

Gustavo Adolfo Chavez of Norco and Amanda Brooke Listoe of Ontario, both 32, pleaded guilty Wednesday to possession of controlled substances for sale under a plea agreement with the Riverside County District Attorney's Office. Chavez admitted two possession charges, and no counts against him were dismissed under the deal. However, Listoe admitted only one charge, and prosecutors dropped a related count against her.

The plea deals were announced just as the pair's case was called for a preliminary hearing at the Riverside Hall of Justice.

Superior Court Judge Gail O'Rane certified the terms of the respective agreements and sentenced both Chavez and Listoe to 24 months' mandatory supervision in lieu of jail. The judge also ordered the defendants to enroll in drug rehabilitation programs.

According to sheriff's Sgt. Art Mendez, Listoe was the principal focus of investigators after she was arrested in Eastvale in December 2021 for carrying an undisclosed quantity of fentanyl.

Mendez said that Listoe posted bail, but her activity remained under scrutiny, and detectives developed leads that she and her boyfriend were engaged in ongoing fentanyl sales around Corona, Eastvale, Jurupa Valley, Norco and Riverside.

A surveillance operation led to the pair being taken into custody on Hamner Avenue in Norco during the first week of March 2022.

"A search of their persons and vehicle revealed a significant amount of fentanyl pills," Mendez said at the time.

He said that search warrants were obtained and served at their shared residence in the 3200 block of Yellowstone Drive, where "fentanyl pills, methamphetamine and items indicative of the sales of controlled substances" were seized.

According to court records, Chavez had a prior misdemeanor conviction for being under the influence of a controlled substance. Listoe had no documented prior felony or misdemeanor convictions in Riverside County.

According to public safety officials, there were 503 confirmed fentanyl-related fatalities countywide last year, compared to just under 400 in 2021, a 200-fold increase from 2016, when there were only two.

Fentanyl is manufactured in overseas labs, principally in China, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, which says the synthetic opioid is smuggled across the U.S.-Mexico border by cartels. The drug is 80-100 times more potent than morphine and can be mixed into any number of street narcotics and prescription drugs, without a user knowing what he or she is consuming. Ingestion of only two milligrams can be fatal.

Fentanyl is now the leading cause of death for Americans between 18 and 45 years old, statistics show.