San Antonio woman pleads guilty to giving man fentanyl sample that led to his death

SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio woman who authorities say gave a man a lethal dose of fentanyl has pleaded guilty to federal charges.

Claudia Cardenas, 47, pleaded guilty on Thursday to a charge of distribution of a controlled substance resulting in death, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Court documents state that on May 8, 2022, Cardenas gave a man a sample of fentanyl that he ingested the following day. He immediately collapsed and became unresponsive, the news release states.

He was given two doses of the overdose-reversing drug Narcan before paramedics arrived, but he was pronounced dead by Emergency Medical Services.

“An autopsy revealed that the victim’s death was the result of toxic effects from Fentanyl and Methamphetamine,” the release states.

Cardenas is scheduled to be sentenced on July 13. She faces 20 years to life in prison. Her image was not released by federal authorities.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Agency, the University of Texas at San Antonio police, San Antonio police, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and Alamo Heights police.

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