Inmate's Mother Tried Sneaking Fentanyl Into Youth Facility: Prosecutors

SYLMAR, CA — A woman is facing drug charges after being accused of trying to sneak in several pills filled with fentanyl into the youth facility her daughter was incarcerated at, according to authorities.

Jeny Morenoparra, 37, has been charged with one count each of bringing an illegal substance into a jail facility, employment of a minor to sell or carry a narcotic, fentanyl, and possession for sale of a controlled substance, fentanyl, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

The 37-year-old mother was caught trying to sneak more than 30 pills into the Barry J. Nidorf Youth Facility in Sylmar back in 2023, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. She was arrested then, but later released with no charges filed, according to prosecutors.

In May 2025, prosecutors say they reviewed the case again. On Thursday, prosecutors announced they had filed charges against her, saying she endangered her daughter and other people at the facility through her actions.

"Fentanyl is too dangerous a threat — 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine — to not treat its lethality with the seriousness and immediacy it requires," District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said in a statement Thursday. "