'A danger to the community': Barling, Arkansas police make drug bust, five people arrested
The white powdery substance can kill a person quickly.
Fentanyl is the latest dangerous drug that police see more of these days, said Barling Police Chief Darrell Spells. Officers are targeting traffickers with drug use on the rise, he said.
In Sebastian County this year there have been about six overdose deaths with fentanyl detected in the blood, said coroner Kenny Hobbs. Hobbs said he has to wait for toxicology results from the state crime lab in Little Rock to determine a cause of death.
Barling, a city of about 5,000 that borders Fort Smith on the southeast side along Rogers Avenue, is no different than "any other town," Spells said. The increase in fentanyl is widely noted. Two of the department's officers have saved the lives of two people who overdosed on fentanyl since 202.
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Shortly before midnight Friday, July 22, a police officer made a traffic stop on Chad Colley Boulevard. The stop resulted in five people being arrested, and a quarter pound of methamphetamine and a smaller amount of fentanyl was seized.
The investigation continues as to where the drugs came from and where they were going.
"This is a danger to the community," Spells said.
While meth continues to be a major problem, fentanyl, even in a small dose, can kill quickly.
"It can come in a powder or it can come in a pill," Spells said. "The users might not even know what they are taking. Even in small doses, it can be fatal."
Meanwhile, fentanyl pills can be purchased illegally on the street for $15-$20 a pill, he said.
Fentanyl is a pharmaceutical n opiate that is showing up more than heroin these days, he said. It is also used to mix with heroin, cocaine and meth.
Fighting illegal drugs, saving lives
Two Barling officers saved the lives of people who overdosed on fentanyl in the past two years.
On June 26, 2020, Barling police Lt. Stephen Becker responded to a call about a passenger in a vehicle who was unconscious from an overdose. Becker used the drug Naloxone to revive the person, a drug that counteracts the effects of fentanyl.
And officer Nathan Mayhugh responded to a call July 7, 2021, to help Sebastian County Sheriff's deputies with a fentanyl overdose in Lavaca. Mayhugh was the first to arrive and he administered Naloxone to save the person.
Both Barling officers were honored by the University of Arkansas System Criminal Justice Institute for their lifesaving efforts.
All of the Barling officers are equipped with Narcan, a mist that can be sprayed into the nostrils to save the life of a person who overdoses.
More money has been budgeted in Barling for fighting illegal drug trafficking, and officers have been able to work overtime with the extra funds, Spells said. The Barling Board of Directors provided $20,000 a year for officers to work overtime to combat drug trafficking.
Why is fentanyl so dangerous?: The illicit drug has ruined lives during COVID pandemic
From 2021: Fort Smith officer given NARCAN after fentanyl exposure
"This is paying dividends. We're seeing an increase in arrests and it has been really effective. You have to be proactive to go after these dealers," Spells said. "I appreciate the Board of Directors realizing the problem and giving us the resource to help fight drugs in our area."
Of the 300 arrests made for various criminal complaints this year, 200 of those are illegal drug-related, he said.
Barling officers work with other law officers on a task force that investigates drug trafficking in Sebastian and Crawford counties. Arkansas State Police agents, sheriffs' investigators and Greenwood police make up the task force
"I'm proud of the efforts of our officers to get this stuff off the streets," Spells said.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Police in Barling, Arkansas target fentanyl trafficking
