The Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office, North Carolina, USA, made the largest fentanyl bust in its history on Dec. 7 — seizing 2.7 pounds (equivalent to 600,000 lethal doses) of the drug from a South Asheville home, according to Aaron Sarver, the BCSO spokesperson.
A six-month investigation led to the execution of a search warrant at the home of Theodore Russell Finley, 41, on Lamb Avenue, Sarver said.
During the search, law enforcement found 2.7 pounds of fentanyl, 1.9 pounds of crack cocaine, 1.6 pounds of powder cocaine, $78,926 in cash, and two pistols — one of which was stolen — according to Sarver.
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, 2 milligrams of fentanyl is considered a “potentially lethal dose.”
The 2.7 pounds seized Dec. 7 equates to more than 1.2 million milligrams of fentanyl or roughly 612,000 lethal doses.
“I don’t want to play addiction specialist or medical expert but 2.7 pounds of fentanyl is a very, very significant amount with the ability to harm many people,” Sarver said.
Fentanyl is sold in “much smaller quantities” than a gram, Sarver said, and selling only 4 grams of the drug is considered trafficking.
Finley, who was arrested during the seizure on Lamb Avenue, was charged with level III trafficking in fentanyl, which carries a minimum sentence of 18 years in prison.
He was also charged with level III trafficking in cocaine; possession with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver fentanyl; possession with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver cocaine; maintaining a dwelling for the purposes of controlled substances; possession of marijuana; possession of drug paraphernalia; possession of a stolen firearm and possession of a firearm by a felon.
Finley was released from the Buncombe County Detention Center after securing a $200,000 bond. He is set to appear in court on Dec. 28.
The BCSO has brought 161 drug trafficking charges so far this year — 35 more than all of 2020 and 69 more than 2019 — according to Sarver.
“The Sheriff’s Office will continue to pursue long-range investigations in order to dismantle drug trafficking operations in our community, and I will continue to advocate for this enforcement strategy,” Sheriff Quentin Miller said in a release.
Source: Asheville Times
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