Tyler man charged with murder after victim’s death determined to be from fentanyl overdose

Published 3:00 pm Thursday, September 12, 2024

A Tyler man is accused of murder following an overdose death.

Nadarius Tyreque Houston, 24, of Tyler, was charged with murder Tuesday after a post-mortem toxicology report was returned on a victim who died by fentanyl overdose, Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith said Thursday morning during a press conference at his department’s office.

Houston is accused in the death of Cory Darell Long, 23, of Tyler, who died April 17 at a Tyler hospital. Smith County investigators were called to the hospital that afternoon as it was believed fentanyl was the drug associated with Long’s death, Smith said.

In April, investigators went to a Byrd Lane home where the overdose took place and recovered pills from the home. The pills had an “M-30” marking on it, which Smith said are commonly referred to as “percs” which are known to contain fentanyl. The pills were ultimately submitted to the Texas Department of Public Safety Crime Lab where both tested positive for fentanyl.

Further investigation led investigators to identify Houston as a suspect in the case. Just a few days later on April 25, Houston was arrested on a criminal offense charge of manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance, possession greater than 1 gram. He was also charged with felon in possession of a firearm. He was taken to the county jail and booked at that time on the charges.

Long’s body was sent to the Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences in Dallas for an autopsy. The medical examiner was able to determine that the cause of death was due to the toxic effects of fentanyl, otherwise known as fentanyl poisoning, Smith said.

The murder charge added this week comes after the results of the toxicology report, which Smith said took several months to be returned. This is typical of toxicology reports, he said. Houston’s bond was set at $500,000.

“Mr. Houston is an unlucky soul in more ways than one,” Smith said. “He’s going to be prosecuted … and then he’s going to be made an example out of.”

Often used as a pain reliever, fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that is similar to morphine but is 50 to 100 times more potent, and is being mixed with street drugs, such as heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine.

“The problem is the lack of quality control … they’re not manufactured in a laboratory environment,” Smith said. “One grain — the size of a pinhead — will kill you.”

It is also mixed with prescription medications such as oxycodone (OxyContin), hydrocodone (Vicodin), morphine, and methadone. Six out of 10 street drugs are now laced with fentanyl, the Tyler Police Department previously said.

“The pills are made illegally, they’re counterfeits,” Smith said. “They look almost exactly like the ones manufactured at a pharmaceutical facility.”

Smith believes the drug is coming into Texas through the Mexico border and says it will continue to be an issue “until the border is closed.” Even with it closed, it will be difficult to stop fentanyl from coming over, he said. The drug has been recovered on Interstate 20 and throughout Smith County for years now, he added.

“It’s not the illegal (immigrants) influx into the United States that’s causing the problem,” Smith said. “It’s what comes with them … what they’re made to carry by coyotes and the cartels.”

Smith also mentioned that China is a major supplier of fentanyl and fentanyl-related substances trafficked into the United States.

When he was recently president of the Sheriff Association of Texas, Smith said he testified at each of the four special sessions on border security. He worked closely with every border sheriff across Texas and is fully aware of the problems they are facing. According to him, these issues are not only affecting Texas but are also spilling over into other states across the U.S.

“This isn’t a political deal here,” he said. “This is a life-and-death situation.”

Some sense of the issue arises when considering those who are here illegally from Mexico, he said. If authorities start making examples of them for every minor offense, such as driving without a license, these individuals may become reluctant to come forward as witnesses when needed.

“So we’re gonna be selective,” Smith said. “What we do if it’s something that’s to the severity that’s gonna cause injury or death to our citizenry, we’re gonna prosecute … to the fullest extent of the law.”

However, Smith said authorities will work with individuals, including illegal immigrants, if they commit minor offenses but possess valuable information.

“We’re not here to ruin people’s lives,” he added. “We’re here to save their lives and whatever we can do to do that within our power.”

Fentanyl on the streets is not just a Smith County problem. Smith said he’s had conversations with sheriffs across the state and country who are seeing youth overdose on fentanyl.

Smith said law enforcement is “sick and tired” of seeing young people die due to fentanyl.

“We’re sick of it and we’re gonna do something about it,” Smith said, noting the murder charge for Houston is something he hopes residents are “put on notice” about. Law enforcement plans to continue to prosecute people to the fullest extent of the law in cases such as these.

“To anyone in Smith County who possesses, or distributes for personal use, whatever … as long as it is an illegal substance, they will be arrested and they will be prosecuted before the extent of the law here in Smith County,” Smith said. “That’s gonna continue to happen. I’m getting sick and tired of having to have these conversations about people, especially our youth, dying.”

If found guilty, Houston could face five to 99 years up to life in prison for the charge, Smith said.

Long attended Chapel Hill ISD and later graduated from Cumberland Academy in 2020. He worked in the deli department at Brookshire’s, according to his obituary.

“He loved gaming, fishing, music and sports,” his obituary reads.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has issued a public safety alert warning Americans of the alarming increase in the lethality and availability of fake prescription pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine, according to the Eastern District of Texas U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The public safety alert coincides with the launch of DEA’s ‘One Pill Can Kill’ public awareness campaign to educate the public of the dangers of counterfeit pills and urges all Americans to take only medications prescribed by a medical professional and dispensed by a licensed pharmacist.

“The campaign aims to raise public awareness of a significant nationwide surge in fake pills that are mass-produced by criminal drug networks in labs, deceptively marketed as legitimate prescription pills, and are killing unsuspecting Americans at an unprecedented rate,” the Eastern District of Texas U.S. Attorney’s Office said. For more information, visit https://www.dea.gov/onepill.