Texas
Texas charges first fentanyl-related murder under new state law
Mother speaks on pain of losing a young son to fentanyl poisoning
A mother from El Paso copes with the grief of losing a son to fentanyl poisoning after he is found dead in a hotel room.
Omar Ornelas, El Paso Times
Eric Robles is officially the first ever individual indicted under stricter Texas state charges of murder and manufacture/delivery of fentanyl.
Texas House Bill 6, passed in 2023 in response to the rising number of fentanyl-related fatalities across the state, classifies the act of supplying fentanyl resulting in death as murder.
On April 23, 2025, approximately two weeks before completing his sentence on unrelated federal drug charges, Robles was transferred from the custody of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons to the custody of the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office.
“The ability to bring the state charge of murder gives the DEA another tool in our belt,” said OmarArellano, special agent in charge of the DEA’s El Paso Division. “Drug dealers even considering setting up shop in Texas need to keep that in mind.”
The first charge of its kind in Texas
The case was the first time the 34th Judicial District Attorney’s office charged murder as it relates to the distribution of fentanyl resulting in a death.
The Drug Enforcement Administration’s El Paso Fentanyl Overdose Response Team, or FORT, a West Texas High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area initiative, investigated the case. FORT is staffed by DEA, El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, Federal Bureau of Investigations, Department of Army Criminal Investigations Division, Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas National Guard, and the El Paso Police Department.
“The indictment handed down in this case marks a historic and necessary step forward in the fight against the fentanyl epidemic that continues to devastate our community and families across Texas,” said El Paso County Sheriff Oscar Ugarte. “The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office is proud to be part of the DEA’s Fentanyl Overdose Response Team and to work alongside our local, state, and federal partners to ensure drug traffickers are held fully accountable.Although this is the first FORT case indicted on Texas state charges, the DEA’s El Paso Division has had a total of 10 federally charged cases which resulted in the sentencing of 10 individuals for distribution causing death.
“We will not tolerate the distribution of fentanyl in our community—and we will continue using every legal tool available to bring justice for victims and their families. Our message is clear: if your actions result in death, you will be charged accordingly,” Ugarte said.
The 10 individuals received a combined 152 years in federal prison without parole.
LUBBOCK, Texas — As people travel to celebrate the Fourth of July, gas prices are on the rise in Texas as of Thursday, July 2, 2026, as the Fourth of July weekend approaches.
According to the AAA gas price website, Texas is below the current national average gas price of $3.85. The Lone Star State’s gas price average is $3.34, while the state of California has an above-average gas price of $5.42.
The Austin/San Marcos area’s current gas price average is around $3.21, according to the AAA Gas Price.
In Williamson County, the average was $3.18, while Travis and Hays counties were at $3.21.
El Paso is currently the Texas city with the highest gas prices, with an average price of $3.63. Below are other Texas cities’ averages:
- Abilene – $3.46
- College Station/Bryan – $3.44
- Dallas – $3.29
- Fort Worth/Arlington – $3.28
- Houston – $3.34
- Killeen/Temple/Fort Hood – $3.24
- Lubbock – $3.26
- San Antonio – $3.41
- Tyler – $3.26
- Waco – $3.26
For those traveling for the Fourth of July weekend, it is a good reminder to drink responsibly, share the road and plan ahead.
To learn more about gas prices around Texas and the rest of the nation, find out more at AAA.
Six Flags Over Texas’ new record-breaking dive coaster, Tormenta Rampaging Run, is now scheduled to open on Thursday, July 9, park officials announced Wednesday.
It had been scheduled to open on June 26 as part of the park’s 65th anniversary, but that was delayed due to longer-than-expected testing of the high-flying roller coaster.
When it announced the delay, the park said on social media, “… it ensures that when Tormenta charges out of the gates, it will be a ride experience worthy of its name – bold, intense, and unforgettable.”
Ride will break six world records
The Tormenta Rampaging Run is inspired by Spain’s Running of the Bulls. The coaster will be located in a new section of Six Flags called Rancho de la Tormenta, featuring Cocina Abuela – a Spanish/Latin American restaurant.
The ride, designed by coaster manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard, will begin with a 309-foot climb, followed by a 95-degree beyond-vertical drop, and will include sharp turns, airtime moments, and multiple inversions.
It will break six records when it opens: the tallest dive coaster (309 feet), the fastest dive coaster (87 mph), the longest dive coaster (4,199 feet), the tallest vertical coaster loop (179 feet), the highest Immelmann inversion (218 feet), and the highest 95-degree beyond-vertical drop (285 feet).
CBS News Texas will provide updates should additional information become available.
-
Detroit, MI11 minutes agoSilence from Jalen Duren’s camp is what the Pistons want to hear
-
San Francisco, CA19 minutes agoJury deadlocked on 2 counts for Golden Gate Bridge pro-Palestinian protesters
-
Dallas, TX26 minutes agoRoss Tower hits the market as Downtown Dallas sale wave builds
-
Miami, FL29 minutes agoFIFA World Cup Miami Host Committee lends a helping hand to people of Venezuela after deadly earthquakes
-
Boston, MA34 minutes agoReview & setlist: It was 100 degrees in Boston, and Goose was on fire
-
Denver, CO41 minutes agoWhere to Celebrate the 4th of July in Denver This Weekend – 303 Magazine
-
Seattle, WA44 minutes agoCOUNTDOWN: Two days until West Seattle Fourth of July Kids’ Parade! Here’s the newest info
-
San Diego, CA49 minutes agoMan Stabbed 4 Times Outside San Diego Bar; Suspect Arrested
