Overview
- A Los Angeles judge sentenced Deijae Devon Jester to four years in jail Thursday after he pleaded no contest in June to possession for sale and contraband charges tied to 25 fentanyl-laced pills.
- Prosecutors say Jester’s mother, Nickia Tyonia Randall, attempted to hand him two latex balls containing drugs during a Dec. 14, 2025 visit and deputies recovered one ball with 25 pills and a small amount of powder.
- Investigators built the case using juvenile hall surveillance, recorded phone calls and recordings from a wired cell that prosecutors say captured Jester discussing and coordinating smuggling with his mother.
- The new conviction means Jester will serve part of the term in adult custody rather than remain in juvenile placement, and the judge imposed four years after weighing his age, upbringing and in-custody progress against prosecutors’ request for five years.
- The case highlights safety gaps at the Sylmar juvenile facility, raises questions about visitor screening and fentanyl risks to incarcerated youths, and leaves Randall facing pending felony charges while she remains in San Bernardino County custody.