“Xtra Depth”: Mother grieves for son lost to fentanyl, while she & DEA continue fight to prevent drug deaths

EL PASO (KVIA) -- Fentanyl is a drug that's killing people in the El Paso and Las Cruces area at alarming rates. As officers continue to crack down on drug dealers, more people who've lost loved ones to fentanyl are also joining the fight.

ABC-7's Paul Cicala caught up with Jennipher Talamantes Guerra, a grieving mother who's son tragically died from a fentanyl overdose, while she continues to raise awareness about the dangers of the drug in order to prevent other parents from experiencing the loss of a loved one.

It's been over four years since the death of her son, Jacob Talamantes, who took in a dose of fatal fentanyl poisoning.

"They told me that they had found my son deceased in a hotel," said Jennipher Talamantes, as she opened up about the day of her son's death on April 24th, 2020, "His so-called friends left him there to die. He had very little fentanyl in his system. Less than two milligrams."

It was enough fentanyl to be deadly, after she says that Jacob thought he was taking a percocet. However, the counterfeit drug was laced with fentanyl.

Towanda Thorne-James, Special Agent in Charge for DEA El Paso Division, said, "One pill can kill. Fentanyl is extremely dangerous."

Towanda Thorne-James says that traces of fenanyl are commonly found in prescription drugs that may derive from the streets, and -not- the pharmacies. .

"You should not take a pill that has not been prescribed to you by your doctor or a pharmacist," said Towanda.

Since the death of Jake Talamantes, just 25 years old, Jenipher Talamantes has begun the non-profit called "Fighting to Save Lives in the 915" to not only pay tribute to her son's life, but to reach out to parents through fentanyl awareness programs.

"It's so important that parents become aware of the dangers of fentanyl, and speak to their children," said Jenipher Talamantes.

She's warning families that fentanyl deaths aren't just relegated to drug-abusers on the streets, which is something echoed by Special Agent Thorne-James, who recommends parents to "Advise your children on the dangers of social media, because, this is what they're utilizing. It's a on one stop shop, so if you have a phone, then you have a drug dealer."  

DEA laboratory testing reveals that six out of ten fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills now contain a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl, and, Talamantes reiterated to ABC-7's Paul Cicala that "even college students dealing with stress can be exposed to fentanyl without knowing."

Talamantes adds, "It's not that they're drug addicts. They just took a xanax for anxiety. They just ran out of their xanax pill, and their friend happened to give them xanax that was laced with fentanyl."

Special Agent Thorne-James said, "People aren't only being poisoned by fentanyl. They don't even know they're taking it. They don't know that it's in every drug imaginable. They don't know that it's in cocaine, that it's in methamphetamine, that it's in marijuana." 

According to the El Paso County Attorney's office, deaths from fentanyl have risen gradually from 75 in 2021 to 79 in 2022 and 96 in 2023.

Southern New Mexico is also seeing a rise in fentanyl-related deaths.

According to the New Mexico Department of Public Safety's "High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Program", in 2021 there were 57 deaths linked to fentanyl.

In 2022, the number remained the same with 57 deaths, and in 2023, it rose to 61 people killed from fentanyl.

Towanda Thorne-James, Special Agent in Charge for DEA El Paso division, said "There is demand for the fentanyl and our priority is to save American lives, so we continue to focus on our outreach."

She says, the DEA is putting pressure on the organizations who control the fentanyl distribution.

Some strategies appear to be working, at least in the Las Cruces area, where the handing out of Narcan, the brand name for the drug Naloxone, can help revive someone who may have overdosed from fentanyl. Thorne-James tells ABC-7's Paul Cicala that it's helping to keep the deaths from having such a marked increase that we've seen nationwide.

The New Mexico Department of Public Safety's "High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Program" released graphics indicating:

From 1999, when talking about National Drug-Related overdoses as a whole, there were less than 20,000 in 1999.

Meanwhile the numbers have steadily grown over the last two decades to a whopping 106,699 deaths associated to drug overdoses in 2021, nationwide.

When ABC-7's Paul Cicala asked Jennipher Talamantes if she could give a direct message to people who are dealing fentanyl to youngsters out there, what would she tell them, the grieving mother answered, "What if you were killing one of your own children? They don't know the pain that they cause parents who are losing their children or family. And, not until it happens to them, are they going to feel the pain."

And, -that pain- of a mourning mom's memories of that devastating day lingers on.

"It still seems like it was just yesterday.  So it doesn't get easy. It's still difficult," said Talamantes, "We really miss him."

Wednesday, August 21st is National Fentanyl Prevention Awareness Day. Jennipher Talamantes will be in New York City on that day for a special ceremony to pay tribute to the lives lost from fentanyl. She says a picture of her son, Jake, will appear in time square, along with others.

If you would like to donate to "Fighting to Save Lives in the 915", just click on THIS LINK.