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Crime

07th Apr 2022

Two men busted with enough fentanyl to kill 4.7 million people

April Curtin

‘Fentanyl is cheap, it’s easy to get and it is killing our children’

Two men face in the US multiple felony charges after police reportedly found them with enough fentanyl to kill 4.7 million people.

Edgar Alfonso Lamas, 36, and Carlos Raygozaparedes, 53, were arrested by police in South California after they were allegedly discovered with 821 pounds of meth, nearly 190 pounds of cocaine and 20.5 pounds of fentanyl pills – all inside a minivan pulling out of an Orange County home on March 17.

Just two milligrams of fentanyl, the strong opioid painkiller which is commonly abused in the US, is enough to be a lethal dose.

This is one of the largest busts the county has seen in 16 years, the Orange County District Attorney Office confirmed.

Todd Spitzer, Orange County District Attorney, said in a statement: “Millions of unsuspecting people have the grim reaper looking over their shoulder and they have no idea how close they actually are to dying from taking a single pill.

“Fentanyl is cheap, it’s easy to get and it is killing our children, our coworkers, and tens of thousands of innocent Americans who don’t have to die. Drug dealers don’t care about you or your loved ones – they only care about their bottom line and making as much money as possible.

“With fentanyl in an estimated 40 percent of street drugs, it’s not a matter of if, but when someone you know and love dies from fentanyl. We have to continue to do everything we can to combat this deadly drug epidemic and save lives.”

This warning comes after Spitzer’s previous statement back in November in which he said convicted drug dealers and distributors can be charged with murder if their drug activities result is someone’s death. He especially referred to cases involving fentanyl.

Lamas and Raygozaparedes have been charged with a long list of drug felonies and face a maximum sentence of 37 years and four months if they are convicted on all charges.

Both pleaded not guilty and remain in custody on $5m bail.

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