San Jose: ‘Madman’ fentanyl dealer that targeted high school students will get 12 years in prison

Simon Armendariz, 23, who went by the nicknames of "Risky" and "Madman," sold drugs to teenagers in downtown Los Gatos, the parking lots of Los Gatos High and a nearby church, authorities said.

SAN JOSE — The San Jose drug dealer that targeted his sale of fentanyl-laced pills at Los Gatos High School students will be sentenced to 12 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to all charges last week, according to prosecutors.

Simon Armendariz, 23, who went by the nicknames of “Risky” and “Madman,” sold drugs to teenagers in downtown Los Gatos, the parking lots of Los Gatos High and a nearby church, authorities said. He admitted to all charges, which included four felonies for selling drugs to minors, misdemeanors for possession of ammunition by a prohibited person, possession of fentanyl and two strike prior offenses, according to the Santa Clara County Office of the District Attorney.

Armendariz was arrested on suspicion of the crimes in December 2022.

“Just so everybody knows: Fentanyl kills,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement. “Just so everybody knows: If you sell fentanyl to teenagers then our prosecutors will do everything in our power to send you to prison for a very long time.”

Prosecutors said the investigations swirling around Armendariz began when a 15-year-old girl collapsed and overdosed while using the restroom during an evening Narcotics Anonymous meeting. The girl survived, but became unconscious, pale, and cold to the touch by the time paramedics arrived and administered the opioid-blocking drug Narcan. Authorities later said she had taken a counterfeit Percocet pill that was laced with fentanyl.

Los Gatos High has been under scrutiny for fentanyl-related incidents since 2020, when two students died in off-campus overdoses. Since then, all staff at the high school have been trained to recognize overdose symptoms and to use Narcan.