A Santa Clarita man was charged with dealing a drug three times more powerful than fentanyl, causing one fatal overdose, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Arraigned on Wednesday, Benjamin Anthony Collins, 21, was charged with one count of distribution of protonitazene that resulted in what the DOJ says could be the nation’s first death-resulting criminal case involving this narcotic.

The indictment alleges Collins knowingly and intentionally dealt protonitazene to a victim in the early morning hours of April 19, 2024. The DOJ only identified the victim as a 22-year-old man from Stevenson Ranch.

The Los Angeles Times reports that hours before his death, the victim called Collins asking for Percocet pills, and Collins sold him five oxycodone pills for $20 each. 

Also included in the L.A. Times’ report was a recount of text messages between the two before the drug deal that were shown in court documents: “I need real Perc’s tho…. Cuz my boy just died…. I get worried,” texted the victim. 

According to the report, Collins responded by saying, “yeah bro same with my best friend bro. He just died 3 days ago. Off fake pills.” He also then said, “those fake Perc’s get you . . I test all my [expletive] … negative evry time.”

Soon after the deal, the DOJ says the 22-year-old took the pills in the front seat of his car and quickly died. His mother found him parked outside her home and called 911, officials say.

“In recent years, protonitazene has been sold over the internet and is believed to be several times more powerful than fentanyl, which itself is 50 times stronger than heroin,” the DOJ wrote in a statement released Thursday.

According to the World Health Organization, protonitazene and other “nitazenes” were first synthesized in the late 1950s as “novel opioid alternatives to morphine,” but were soon abandoned and never approved for medical use.

The DOJ says Collins, in addition to giving the victim the pills that ended his life, had planned on also selling him a bulk supply of the same drugs in the future.

Collins was arrested on Monday, Nov. 18, and he pleaded not guilty on Wednesday. He is scheduled for a trial date in January, and meanwhile is being held without bail.

If convicted, Collins would face a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

A family is still searching for their missing pit bull, Blue, who disappeared moments before the Mountain Fire took their house in the hills above Camarillo on Nov. 6.

In a rush to escape the flames, Madison O’Donnell, 30, and her father were trying to get their three dogs into the car when a gas tank in a nearby car exploded, startling the dogs, the VC Star reports.

The two dogs that ran into the house were quickly rounded up according to the report, but the 10-year-old pit bull disappeared.

“They searched as the fire spread to their house, her dad running in to check one more time,” details the VC Star. “Still, no Blue.”

O’Donnell and her dad returned to their home on Estaban Drive later that day to look again, but both Blue and their house were gone.

According to the report, O’Donnell says Blue is “the sweetest boy,” who loves sunbathing and has a unique run described as a sort of gallop or “more of a hopping dance.”

O’Donnell also notes that Blue is hard of hearing, but can always sniff out her dad.

“Her dad’s shirts hang on the gate near what she now calls ‘the lot’ instead of home,” reported the VC Star.

The family has also posted signs around their town and online and has reached out to shelters and rescues for help. They’ve even sifted through the rubble of their home to search for his remains, but have not found any.

O’Donnell told the VC Star that sometimes she finds hope in knowing that Blue once survived on his own in an Oxnard field for a time until he ended up at the shelter where she and her father rescued him from about two years ago.

O’Donnell is asking anyone with information on Blue’s whereabouts or possible sightings to email helpusfindblue10@gmail.com.

A listeria outbreak in some ready-to-eat meals is linked to several illnesses in California, and the death of an infant, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In total, 11 people have been ill from the outbreak, including seven in California. The lone death, also in California, was from an infant.

It wasn’t clear where in California the infant resided.

Other illnesses were found in New York, Illinois and New Jersey.

According to the CDC, the outbreak originated in ready-to-eat meat and poultry products from  Yu Shang Food Inc. All products labeled with “Yu Shang” that were produced before Oct. 28 are recalled, and to be thrown out.

Pork hock, chicken feet, pork feet, duck neck, beef shank and pork tongue are examples of recalled Yu Shang products.

The CDC warns that listeria can survive in refrigerators and spread to other foods and surfaces, so any refrigerator that contained recalled products should be cleaned out.

Pregnant people and individuals older than 65 are most likely to become ill from listeria.

According to the CDC:

• For people who are pregnant, Listeria can cause pregnancy loss, premature birth, or a life-threatening infection in their newborn.
• For people who are 65 years or older or who have a weakened immune system, Listeria often results in hospitalization and sometimes death.