The Durham County Sheriff’s Office announced that a drug trafficking investigation resulted in the arrest of a man and the seizure of enough fentanyl to kill more than 2.3 million people.
On Wednesday night, the sheriff’s office’ Anti-Crime and Narcotics unit, with assistance from the State Bureau of Investigation, executed a search warrant at a home on Newland Place.
Law enforcement officers say they located several weapons, including an AR-15 and an AK-style assault rifle, a large sum of cash and narcotics. In addition to the 4.6 kilos of fentanyl, authorities said they seized 3.8 kilos of marijuana, 215 grams of cocaine, 12 grams of heroin and 23 grams of mushrooms.
Rodney Ephraim, 49, faces several charges. Those include trafficking in fentanyl and MSDP a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a school.
“Two milligrams [of fentanyl] can be a lethal dose,” said Durham County Sheriff Clarence Birkhead. “According to DEA data, one kilo of fentanyl has the potential to kill 500,000 people. When you consider the population of Durham County is just under 350,000, it’s sobering to think of.”
Authorities are holding Ephraim in the Durham County Detention Center without bond.