BRPD makes state's largest Fentanyl seizure
BATON ROUGE - Baton Rouge Police made the state's largest Fentanyl seizure Wednesday, on National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day.
BRPD's Special Investigation Unit arrested Cendy Keophimanh on Aug. 15. for suspected drug dealing. During an additional search, officers found 181 pounds of fentanyl - some of it possibly mixed with heroin.
In addition, 105 dosage units of Adderall, and 108 of Xanax were also seized. Police said that the amount of drugs seized has the potential to save 42 million lives.
This comes a week after two other properties associated with Keophimanh were raided. They had found nearly five pounds of Fentanyl and 150 pounds of Meth, the largest in the department's history at the time.
"The drug dealers are mixing the fentanyl in with other drugs in an attempt to make it addictive so that those people that are using those type of drugs, they can come back to them," BRPD Sgt. L'Jean McKneely said. "You can lose your life with just a pinhead or pencilhead amount of Fentanyl."
This string of drug busts is just one of the multiple crackdowns on the Fentanyl crisis by authorities in the past week across the region. Last week, Hammond Police's Fentanyl Overdose Response team charged a suspect with second-degree murder for the first time at the state level.
Trystan McMillion is accused of giving drugs laced with Fentanyl to 27-year-old Nicholas Platt of Hammond before his overdose.
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"He was a loving father and a son. He had a daughter he adored dearly. Without their tireless efforts, we would never suggest this done. Hopefully, this will keep other families from having to stand here," Nicholas' father Jay said.
Police say Fentanyl is the leading cause of overdose deaths in East Baton Rouge Parish.
"We have situations in which babies come in contact with it because they're parents or guardians, someone has it inside the home," McKneely said.
BRPD officers always carry Narcan, which is provided by the Louisiana Department of Health.