Brayan Torres

Five people charged in a fentanyl trafficking conspiracy that authorities say contributed to one teenager’s death appeared in court Monday, including one co-defendant making his first appearance.

The five co-defendants face charges of engaging in organized crime and multiple fentanyl trafficking counts.

One person, Brayan Torres, is charged with second-degree manslaughter, with prosecutors seeking to hold him responsible for the death of Acacia Rose Martinez, 18, of Bowling Green, on Jan. 21 from a suspected overdose.

Jonathan Shizirungo, 27, of Bowling Green, was arraigned in Warren Circuit Court on an indictment charging him with engaging in organized crime and 10 counts of first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance (fentanyl).

Warren Circuit Judge Chris Cohron appointed a public defender to represent Shizirungo, who pleaded not guilty.

Shizirungo, who was booked Wednesday into Warren County Regional Jail under a $100,000 cash bond, was ordered to return to court July 14 for a hearing to determine the status of his legal representation.

An attorney with the Bowling Green office of the Department of Public Advocacy represents another co-defendant in the case, so an attorney to represent Shizirungo would have to come from elsewhere to avoid a conflict of interest.

Torres and the remaining co-defendants, Mut Khan, Reath Khan and Kayyanah Smith, also made appearances Monday before Cohron.

Mut Khan’s attorney, Wes Milliken, said in court that he had met with his client at the jail and reviewed the evidence with him, noting that the quantity of discovery was “voluminous.”

“There are a lot of moving parts in this case,” Milliken said.

Mut Khan, 28, is charged with engaging in organized crime, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance (fentanyl), first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance (cocaine), trafficking in marijuana, intimidating a participant in the legal process and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Khan and the other co-defendants were directed by Cohron to return to court on Aug. 11.

Police investigating Martinez’s death learned that she spent time with Torres on Jan. 21 before she traveled home.

Torres, 19, was arrested Jan. 31 by the Bowling Green-Warren County Drug Task Force, which developed intelligence that allegedly implicated Torres in the use and distribution of fentanyl.

Task force agents conducted surveillance on Torres’ residence shortly before his arrest.

At the time of his arrest, Torres was getting into a vehicle driven by Reath Khan, 23, who is charged with engaging in organized crime, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance (fentanyl, firearm enhanced), 15 counts of first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance (fentanyl), receiving stolen property (firearm) and possession of a handgun by a convicted felon.

According to prior court testimony, drug task force agents recovered a package containing about 2.4 grams of fentanyl, along with a handgun, from the vehicle occupied by Torres and Reath Khan.

Police also recovered a hotel room key card that led detectives to Khan’s brother, Mut Khan.

Detectives obtained a search warrant for the hotel room where Mut Khan was found, and seized about 8.5 grams of suspected fentanyl, 2.4 grams of suspected crack cocaine, about a pound of marijuana and more than $1,000, according to courtroom testimony in February from Detective Kyle Laing of the task force.

A grand jury indicted Torres on charges of engaging in organized crime, second-degree manslaughter, 34 counts of first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance (fentanyl) and first-degree unlawful transaction with a minor.

Smith, 20, is charged with engaging in organized crime and five counts of first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance (fentanyl).