SHOW LOW – The illegal, and sometimes fatal, use of fentanyl, which can kill in small doses, is nothing new in the White Mountains.
The latest law enforcement bust of a large number of counterfeit fentanyl pills occurred on Show Low on Thursday, February 11th, when Navajo County Sheriff’s Office MPs and Major Crimes Apprehension Team (MCAT) detectives came on Nov. -year-old James Axel Gonzalez of Tucson arrested charges for possession / use of narcotics, possession of narcotics for sale, and transportation of narcotics for sale.
The drugs they confiscated are considered “counterfeit” because they are not made by any prescription drug manufacturer and because the manufacturers of the counterfeit pills put everything they want in them, including lethal amounts of fentanyl.
“Fentanyl is a strong pain reliever. It’s an opioid like morphine, codeine, oxycodone, and methadone. Fentanyl is up to 100 times stronger than morphine and extremely dangerous if not used in the prescribed manner and under the guidance of a doctor. Because fentanyl is so powerful, the difference between a dose that gets a person high and a dose that causes death is very small, ”said Tori Gorman, public information officer for NCSO, in a press release in the bust was announced.
On February 11, an NCSO MP from the Criminal Interdiction Unit, along with MCAT detectives conducting a drug possession and transportation investigation, took at least 50,000 fentanyl pills from the street, black market, and user hands.
The NCSO seized 6.1 pounds of “suspected” fentanyl pills with an estimated street value of more than $ 1 million.
Not only did they keep the fentanyl off the streets, but they likely saved the lives of some addicts, they also confiscated five ounces of heroin, again making a comeback in society as it’s easy to make, cheap for addicts, and therefore very profitable for those who sell it.
The day before the NCSO bust on February 11, Show Low police arrested a 22-year-old Concho woman and a 25-year-old Show Low man, both of whom allegedly in possession of fentanyl pills on Wednesday, February 10 were local mall.
The man was reportedly seen smoking fentanyl in his vehicle in the parking lot of a local sports shop before police arrived and arrested the couple.
Then, on Monday, February 15, the SLPD injected and used syringes to inject a 28-year-old woman from Lakeside who allegedly had fentanyl pills into a locker that a K9 pointed out, which was hers Arrest for possession of dangerous drugs and dangerous drug use drug paraphernalia.
NCSO Sheriff David Clouse had some advice and a warning to those who may be tempted to use counterfeit fentanyl, while also realizing that its use covers a wide age group.
“We see the use of fentanyl in a wide age group, from 15 to 70 years old. Fentanyl is addictive and extremely dangerous. Users don’t know what they are getting, it’s like playing Russian roulette every time a person uses fentanyl. I am very pleased with the aggressive, proactive efforts MCAT detectives are making every day in the communities in Navajo County to try to remove this toxin from our communities, “Clouse said in the Gorman press release.
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