 MONTGOMERY COUNTY, TX- On Thursday evening, a Precinct 4 traffic stop on led to the seizure of over seven pounds of pills that tested positive for the epidemic street drug methamphetamine and the deadly prescription drug, Fentanyl.
Just before 9 p.m., a Precinct 4 Deputy initiated a traffic stop on Hwy 59 near Community Drive and Pct. 4 K9 Deputy “Joker” indicated detection of the presence of contraband in the vehicle. Deputies searched the vehicle and found a box containing pounds of pills, divided into plastic sandwich bags, as though for distribution.
Erick Christopher Duncan, 36, of Houston is charged with second-degree felony Manufacture / Delivery of a Controlled Substance. As of this posting, his bond was not set.
Pct. 4 Constable Kenneth “Rowdy” Hayden said the seizure showed the dedication of Precinct 4 Deputies in the fight against the scourge of illegal and dangerous drugs in East Montgomery County.
“Their proactive approach potentially saved numerous lives, considering these pills were laced with fentanyl, a lethal substance,” Constable Hayden said.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Fentanyl is a “powerful synthetic (lab-made) opioid that is FDA-approved to treat severe pain related to surgery or complex pain conditions” and is “about 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine”. However, over the past decade, Fentanyl has begun to be illegally manufactured and distributed, triggering a dramatic increase in the number of deaths by drug overdose in the United States. The US Department of Justice says, “42 percent of pills tested by the DEA for fentanyl contained at least 2 mg of fentanyl, considered a potentially lethal dose”- That’s almost a 1 in 2 chance of overdose death from any illegally obtained pill.
“Erick Duncan” ?
Are we sure that’s his real name, and not just the one attached to the SSN he stole?