OAN Staff Blake Wolf
12:21 PM – Monday, October 21, 2024
The Los Angeles Police Department seized over 50 pounds of fentanyl, as well as nine pounds of black tar heroin and $14,500 in south Los Angeles this week, equating to over 4 million dollars in worth, the police announced.
The drug bust took place on October 16th, involving the LAPD’s Narcotics and Gang Impact Team.
A 28-year-old man named Jose Alberto Soto was arrested on suspicion of selling fentanyl, which led officers to obtain a search warrant, where they discovered the massive amount of fentanyl he was hiding.
Following the seizure, the LAPD released a statement recounting the events.
“the Los Angeles Police Department’s Central Area Narcotics Enforcement Detail 9NED), assisted by Rampart Area Narcotics Enforcement Detail and the Central Area Gang Impact Team (GIT), conducted an undercover narcotics investigation near the Downtown Los Angeles which resulted in the arrest of one Los Angeles resident for Sales of Fentanyl,” the statement began.
The search warrant prompted officers to arrive at the 7500 block of Central Avenue in South Los Angeles, where they discovered massive amounts of fentanyl, in addition to heroin and cash. The confiscated drugs and cash was estimated to be $4 million in street value, according to the Drug Enforcement Agency.
Authorities highlighted that only 2 milligrams of fentanyl could be a potentially lethal dose, meaning the 50 pounds of seized fentanyl could kill over 11 million people, or nearly three times the population of Los Angeles.
“According to current Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) estimates for the Los Angeles Area, this seizure represents over $4,000,000 in street value. Assuming a 2mg lethal dose, this seized fentanyl could potentially kill over 11,000,000 people,” the statement continued.
According to jail records, Soto still remains in custody without the opportunity of bail.
According to the Center For Disease Control’s (CDC) national statistics, there were 107,543 deaths resulting from a drug overdose in 2023, with the “vast majority of those” deaths attributed to fentanyl specifically.
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