First person charged in Maricopa County with new fentanyl law pleads guilty to manslaughter

MESA, Ariz. — The first person in Maricopa County believed to be charged under a new Arizona law involving the sale of fentanyl has entered into a plea agreement. 

Cruzita Leon, 35, was arrested by Mesa police in March 2025 for allegedly selling fentanyl to a 49-year-old man who died from an overdose on Dec. 1, 2024. Leon was the first person arrested by Mesa police under a new law which makes it a Class 2 felony to knowingly sell fentanyl that results in a person’s death.

The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office said Leon was the first known defendant in the Valley to be charged for the “sale of lethal fentanyl” offense.

Leon was arrested after Mesa police recovered text messages arranging a drug deal between the defendant and victim, officials said. Detectives conducted undercover buys for fentanyl powder and pills from the defendant during the investigation.

On Dec. 2, Leon agreed to plead guilty in Maricopa County Superior Court to manslaughter, a Class 2 felony, and selling narcotic drugs, a Class 2 felony. The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 30.

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