EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) — When Marina Gorman died of a fentanyl overdose, she was found lying naked on top of Christian Torres, the man prosecutors described as her primary drug supplier.
Gorman died on Mach 5, 2022, inside Torres’ home, where El Paso police officers found a blue powdery substance folded in a five-dollar bill with a straw, as well as pills of fentanyl, oxycodone and Xanax.
Commonly referred to as “blues” or “M-30s,” the fentanyl pills are described as counterfeit oxycodone pills that are blue and have an “M” and a “30” imprinted on either side.
According to court documents obtained by Border Report, investigators found numerous texts and social media messages revealing that Gorman often bought M-30 pills and other drugs from Torres starting in January 2022.
Despite her death, investigators say, Torres, 24, and an alleged accomplice continued to sell the types of drugs found at his home.
The court documents state that in August 2022, an undercover officer with the El Paso Police Department Narcotics Division began communicating with Torres via Instagram and asked to buy M-30 pills. Torres allegedly said the pills weren’t his but that he knew someone who would sell them to the officer.
A few days later, on Aug. 25, 2022, the undercover officer messaged Elizabeth Aguilera on Instagram and told her he tried contacting Torres about picking up “blues.”
Documents state that Aguilera told the officer that she would be the one selling the pills — $40 for two blues and four Xanax pills — and agreed to meet him at a motel on Dyer Street in Northeast El Paso, where she allegedly handed him a small zip-close baggie containing two small blue circular pills with the “M” and “30” imprints, and four white oval pills.
The officer handed Aguilera $40 and left.
The criminal complaint states that, moments later, Aguilera messaged the officer on Instagram, saying, “I gave you the good blues. No[t] the dark blues ones. You smoke them or snort them? If you like them I do deals on 10 more.”
Later that day, the officer agreed to meet Aguilera the following day at an apartment complex on Dyer Street, where he would purchase 50 pills at $5 each.
When the officer arrived, Torres approached his vehicle and handed him 28 pills in a medicine bottle. Torres took off before returning with another 21 pills in a baggie.
The officer handed Torres $250 and left.
Torres and Agiulera were on Sept, 8, 2022.
On Wednesday, U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza of the Western District of Texas announced that Torres pleaded guilty in a federal court in El Paso to one count of distribution of fentanyl, causing death or serious bodily injury.
He faces 20 years to life in prison but will learn his sentence later.
Aguilera is charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a quantity of fentanyl.
The Drug Enforcement Administration is investigating the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Phil Countryman is prosecuting the case, according to a news release.