San Benito County District Attorney Candice Hooper confirmed her office returned a case involving a suspected fentanyl-related death to the Hollister Police Department for further investigative work.
For now, the district attorney has not charged Daniel Cadena with a crime in the matter.
“It was returned to the agency for further investigation, and we have not received it back,” Hooper said Tuesday.
She didn’t have further details and noted that her Assistant District Attorney Ellen Campos requested the additional review.
“It just means that it’s under review. We need further information before we can make a decision.”
In the meantime, the suspect who was age 18 at the time of his arrest, has been released by the jail.
Hollister police in February announced the arrest of Cadena after officers discovered an overdose death victim had ingested several narcotics and controlled substances. According to police, one of those substances was deemed as counterfeit pharmaceutical medication, and the drug unknowingly contained the powerful narcotic fentanyl, police noted at the time.
According to the HPD report from February:
In mid-December of 2017, the Hollister Police Department responded to a reported overdose death. During the investigation, officers discovered the victim had ingested several narcotics and controlled substances. One of substances was deemed to be counterfeit pharmaceutical medication, commonly abused as a recreational drug. The drug unknowingly contained the powerful narcotic, fentanyl.
The police investigation later revealed that the victim had obtained the controlled substances from Daniel Ray Cadena (18).
Daniel Cadena was arrested during a search warrant executed by agents of the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team, along with Hollister Police officers. Cadena was later booked at the San Benito County Jail for charges alleging involuntary manslaughter, and furnishing/sales of narcotics and controlled substances.
DA’s office requests more investigating in fentanyl case
