ICE seeks to deport man linked to Virginia high school overdoses

LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. - ICE has lodged an immigration detainer against a Salvadoran native accused of selling fentanyl to students in Loudoun County. 

What we know:

The detainer is for 31-year-old Isaac Melendez-Carranza, who ICE said has been in the U.S. illegally for the past 10 years. 

Melendez‑Carranza was arrested by the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office in late August and charged with distributing fentanyl within 1,000 feet of public schools. Officials found 100 pills during a search of his home after he was identified as a suspected dealer connected to student overdoses at Park View High School in May.

Melendez‑Carranza said he was selling to support his own use, according to court documents.

READ MORE | Undocumented Salvadoran national charged in Loudoun County school overdoses faces ICE removal

Following his arrest, the sheriff’s office confirmed that it planned to hand Melendez‑Carranza over to ICE upon his release.

"He’s here illegally," Sheriff Mike Chapman said. "I think he came in about 10 years ago. We shouldn’t be here, and maybe if he wasn’t here this would not have happened, so we take that quite seriously. There is a detainer on him from ICE, so once he is done with his charges here, he will be released to ICE."

According to ICE, a Border Patrol officer encountered Melendez‑Carranza near Hebbronville, Texas in April 2016 and found that he had walked across the Rio Grande River from Mexico into the U.S.

"Anyone who comes to this country illegally and then allegedly peddles deadly fentanyl near our children’s schools should expect ICE to come for them," said acting ICE Director David Venturella. "The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office understands that protecting our communities must come before politics. ICE will relentlessly pursue criminal illegal aliens who threaten Americans, take them into custody, and remove them from the United States."

ICE officials said an immigration judge issued a final order of removal for Melendez‑Carranza in July 2024. He was encountered in Sterling in August 2024, but no action was taken.

Dig deeper:

Loudoun County officials said there could be more arrests in the overdose investigation.

"You wanna stop anybody that’s getting the drugs over here that’s in danger, but you also wanna work your way up to see who you can get to the top of the chain. So, this person is a pretty significant player here in the area, and the fact that it’s going to the students here is really alarming," Sheriff Chapman said.