A Spring Valley man was indicted Wednesday on a charge of distributing a highly potent lab-made drug similar to fentanyl, allegedly resulting in a man’s overdose death.
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The 44-year-old man allegedly sold the substance, called N-Pyrrolidino Protonitazene, on Craigslist using coded language, according to a criminal complaint filed last year. He offered the victim, a 67-year-old Pacific Beach resident, “red devil nitazene,” which is a smokeable crystal powder, the complaint states. The victim was found dead shortly after ingesting the drug, prosecutors said.
The suspect was caught after selling more of the same drug to an undercover officer three months later, according to prosecutors.
The man was arrested in August 2025 and indicted in December on two counts for possession of drugs with intent to distribute controlled substances, including fentanyl and butonitazine, according to the complaint. On Wednesday, a federal grand jury returned new charges against him, including distribution of N-Pyrrolidino Protonitazene resulting in death, possession of fentanyl, butonitazene and methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, possession of a firearm to aid a drug trafficking crime and felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
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N-Pyrrolidino Protonitazene, also known as NPP, is a potent synthetic opioid, which is a man-made chemical substance to mimic the pain-relieving effects of natural opiates, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. It’s a part of the nitazene family — laboratory-made opioids developed during research years ago — and it was generally not approved for medical use, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors said new nitazene analogs have been appearing in illegal drug supplies and have been connected to overdose deaths.
Experts say naloxone, a medication that can help reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, can work on NPP, though multiple doses may be needed.
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