Fentanyl dealer sentenced to 75 years in prison for sexual assault of a child

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Izaiah Vela, 29

HAYS COUNTY, Texas - A fentanyl dealer was sentenced to 75 years in prison for sexual assault of a child.

During the sentencing phase, the jury heard all the criminal activity the suspect had committed.

Evidence also showed that the suspect sold fentanyl to a high school sophomore who later overdosed back in October 2023.

What we know:

According to the Hays County District Attorney's Office, 29-year-old Izaiah Vela, formerly of Martindale, was sentenced to 75 years in prison on Jan. 21.

On Jan. 15, 2025, a jury found Vela guilty of one count of sexual assault of a child. 

The evidence showed Vela met the minor victim on Instagram, said he knew she was underage, and convinced her to meet him if he gave her free marijuana.

When they met, he provided the victim with marijuana and then "did what he wanted" to the victim. Evidence showed Vela held a gun against the victim during the assault.

After the assault, Vela admitted what he did on Instagram. He later deleted the messages and reset his phone before he was arrested.

Dig deeper:

During the sentencing phase, evidence proved Vela was a career criminal with having been convicted of three counts of burglary of a motor vehicle and having been sent to prison twice, once for evading arrest with a motor vehicle and once for unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. 

Evidence also showed that he was dealing marijuana around the time of the sexual assault case.

Vela also sold fentanyl pills to several people, most of them high school students in Hays County. 

One victim was a 15-year-old high school sophomore. After buying several pills from Vela, the victim died of an overdose in October 2023.

Vela was tied to her death and the other fentanyl sales via his Instagram account. Once he was made aware of the victim's death, he deleted his messages with her, as well as his entire Instagram account that he used to sell fentanyl.

After all the testimony, the jury sentenced Vela to 75 years in prison.

What they're saying:

Assistant Criminal District Attorney Daniel Sakaida released this statement on the ruling:

"The defendant preyed on vulnerable minors in Hays County in the worst ways possible. He saw minors as easy, manipulable clients for his drug sales and as targets for his sexual desires. The jury recognized the damage he inflicted on our community, and they made the right decision to put him away effectively for the rest of his life. Nothing can truly fix the pain left in the defendant’s wake, but this verdict is justice for his victims."