‘I want people who sell these drugs to pay': Mothers who lost teens to fentanyl urge change in Maryland

In an effort to save lives, two Maryland mothers are sharing the pain of losing their children to fentanyl.

Isis Flores and Edith Montalvan testified before state lawmakers on Tuesday and advocated for a bill that calls for tougher punishment for fentanyl and heroin dealers.

Flores lost her 16-year-old son, Yader, in November 2022.

“As a mother, I’m living with this pain every day. Sometimes I cry four or five times a day,” she said.

Montalvan lost her 15-year-old daughter, Ashleigh, last January. She called the loss of her daughter a terrible thing that will haunt her for the rest of her life.

News4 spoke with the two mothers and Montgomery County Council Member Natali Fani-González before they made their way to Annapolis to testify.

Here’s what the bill would do

If passed, the bill would increase to 20 years the maximum prison time for people who distribute fentanyl or heroin that results in death or serious harm.

It also would allow the crime to be prosecuted in the jurisdiction where distribution occurred or where an overdose occurred. This could lessen the burden for families trying to fight cases in cities or counties where they don’t live.

Identical bills in the House and Senate are being discussed in the judiciary committees.

The mothers say it’s hard to share their stories but they find purpose in trying to prevent other families from going through what they did.

“This is hard to fight, and we need help,” Flores said. “We need help. I’m here because I’m representing them.”

“I only want justice for my daughter,” Montalvan said in Spanish. “I want people who sell these drugs to pay.”

In Montgomery County in 2023, 99 people died of overdoses.

The General Assembly has until April 8 to approve the bill.