‘CHEMICAL WARFARE
Fentanyl stash that could have killed everybody in Ohio uncovered as cops compare it to a ‘weapon of mass destruction’
A MASSIVE stash of deadly opioid fentanyl — enough to kill more than 11 million people — has been seized by cops.
The huge seizure was described as "a weapon of mass destruction" by investigators in Ohio as three men were charged trafficking the highly addictive drug.
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Special Agent Vance Callender said the 40lbs was “enough to kill the entire population" of the northern US state — "many times over".
Ohio has a population of about 11.7 million.
Acting special agent Joseph M Deters of the FBI's Cincinnati Division, said: "This multi-million dollar fentanyl seizure clearly shows the enormity of the opioid problem in this area.”
The state of Ohio has been one of the worst affected states by America’s growing opioid and fentanyl epidemics, with at least ten users dying every 26 hours last month alone.
Shamar Davis, 31, Anthony Franklin, 30, and Grady Jackson, 37, were arrested in connection with the best and charged with intent to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl and a felon in possession of a firearm, according to the .
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What is fentanyl?
- Fentanyl is a strong opiod painkiller that is used by many patients around the world suffering from chronic conditions.
- It works by stopping pain signals being sent to the nerves in the brain, meaning users do not suffer any discomfort.
- Due to its strength, it is highly controlled by doctors and pharmacists and cannot be prescribed for children.
- It can be administered in patch form or can be injected into the body via a needle or a drip.
- Like most drugs, there is a high risk of overdosing on Fentanyl if you take more than the recommended dose.
- And due to the drug being a powerful opoid, overdosing on it can prove to be fatal.
- Police in cities across the US and Canada are also seeing people become hooked on the drug due to its highly-addictive nature.
- Some even combine the drug with heroin or cocaine to create an even more potent formula, that heightens it effect of feeling relaxed.
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Special agents also sseized 1,500 grams of a substance that they believed to be methamphetamine, 500 grams of heroin, three firearms and more than $30,000 (£23K).
Those substances will be tested.
Pop legend Prince was found dead aged 57 in an elevator at his Paisley Park home on April 21, 2016, after an accidental overdose of Fentanyl.
Officers searching the singer's home found it was littered with containers of different pills.
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