Pierce County deputies confiscated over a quarter million dollars in illegal drugs last year — $275,956 to be exact.
The amount — about 10 pounds — is roughly the equivalent of two-five pound bags of sugar.
All of the major illicit drugs are present in Pierce County. The most serious — and lethal — is fentanyl. While only 3.3 ounces were confiscated, that amount has a street value of $140,535. Methamphetamine amounted to almost six pounds of seized drugs with a street value of $105,174. Cannabis was next at 4.51 pounds and a street value of $21,687. Cocaine amounted to 6.75 ounces and heroin was 1.62 ounces.
Bennett says the illegal substances appear to be coming from the Rio Grande area of Texas. Once the drugs reach the border, carriers fan out to major cities. Most of Pierce County’s illegal drugs appear to be coming from Atlanta. Local dealers go up to the capital city and bring the drugs back to sell locally in Pierce County.
The sheriff urges citizens to beware of the “sidewalk pharmacists.”
That’s his term for the illegal drug dealers currently operating in the county.
“Most of these jokers flunked out of school and didn’t have good math or science grades at all,” he said with a shake of his head. “Then, users trust them to use math formulas and chemistry to mix up these drugs. It’s crazy.”
Bennett held up a small thumb-print size baggie with four grains of sand in it.
“This is a lethal dose of fentanyl,” he says. “If you touch it or inhale it, it can be fatal. My deputies, our EMT’s and first responders are faced with this reality every day.”
Bennett cited a case in January in neighboring Brantley County where seven individuals overdosed on fentanyl and at least one person died.
“It almost overwhelmed Brantley County’s resources,” he said.
The sheriff said one fortunate traffic stop helped prevent a similar scenario from playing out in Pierce County.
“We made a traffic stop and arrested an individual who had been to the same place in Brantley County to get fentanyl,” he said. “We confiscated it and kept it off the street.”
Bennett also pointed out all his deputies, the county’s EMS units and first responders have access to Narcan, the so called “save” drug used to revive people who have overdosed. Bennett said the Narcan has been used in Pierce County.
Sheriff Bennett asks residents to be on the lookout for drug dealers and call 911 or the sheriff’s office if they observe illegal drug activity.
