Montebello man convicted for his role in smuggling fentanyl into rehab center, leading to OD death

A man from Los Angeles County could spend between 20 years and life in prison for his role in distributing fentanyl into a rehabilitation center that resulted in one man’s overdose death.

Juan Carlos Gutierrez, 33, of Montebello was found guilty Wednesday of supplying fentanyl to a woman who then helped smuggle the dangerous narcotic into a Long Beach rehab clinic for a patient who later died from a drug overdose in December 2021.

Gutierrez provided the powerful synthetic opioid to his co-defendant, Jayleen Feusier, 36, of South Gate.

According to the United States Department of Justice, a 34-year-old man who was receiving treatment at the addiction center paid Feusier $60 to provide him with fentanyl.

Feusier allegedly “broke off approximately one gram of the fentanyl” provided to her by Gutierrez and then packaged it in a small plastic bag with a lighter and other drug paraphernalia. She then put all the contents into a small package which she then wrapped in a t-shirt and placed into a larger bag.

The DOJ says Feusier then used a ride-hailing service to unwittingly transport the package in the backseat of the vehicle to the rehab clinic and provided tracking to the patient.

When the vehicle arrived, the patient jumped a fence at the facility and retrieved the package from the backseat of the car and then returned inside.

Hours later, the man’s body was found inside the facility’s living room. The items provided to him by Feusier were found nearby.

The man’s death was ruled a fentanyl overdose following an autopsy by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Gutierrez was arrested on May 2, 2023 and has remained in federal custody since. He is expected in court for sentencing in October.

Feusier has been in custody since February and pleaded guilty on March 5 to one count of distribution of fentanyl. She is expected to face sentencing in the coming months, the DOJ said.

She could also face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.