Illegal immigrant with deportation order arrested for fentanyl sales near Virginia high school

Isaac Melendez-Carranza, a 31-year-old Salvadoran who has been subject to a final removal order since July 2024, was arrested on Aug. 20 and charged with distributing fentanyl within a 1,000-foot radius of Park View High School in Loudoun County, Virginia. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that ICE placed a detainer on him, and he will be transferred to federal immigration authorities after his state charges are resolved.

Melendez-Carranza first crossed the border illegally via the Rio Grande in 2016 and was released on bond after a Border Patrol arrest in Texas. Loudoun County deputies linked him to overdoses that hospitalized several students in May, confiscating about 100 pills and roughly $1,000 in cash during a search of his home. Sheriff Mike Chapman called the case especially alarming, noting that the illegal immigrant's presence contributed to drug exposure among local students.

The sheriff’s office said further arrests may follow, though no timeline was provided. The incident underscores the intersection of local law-enforcement, immigration enforcement, and community safety concerns.