'Enough fentanyl to kill 302,500' people seized in West Melbourne raid
West Melbourne police say it was enough fentanyl to kill half of the people living in Brevard County.
Now, 34-year-old Corderro Dante East faces trafficking charges involving 605 grams of the painkiller, 245 grams of cocaine, one kilogram of methamphetamine and 245 grams of the club drug ecstasy. West Melbourne police carried out a search warrant at East's 49 Westover Drive home last week in the latest major investigation connected to prescription drugs and other painkillers leading to an arrest in Brevard since January.
East, who has a lengthy criminal arrest record involving illegal drugs, was also charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, records show. He posted a $135,000 bond the following day.
Officers, acting on information from detectives involved with an extensive investigation of East and suspected activity involving narcotics, secured a search warrant targeting the home. They found the kilo of methamphetamine along with the 605 grams of fentanyl, a highly potent opioid that investigators point to as being connected to hundreds of drug overdoses in Brevard and Florida in recent years.
Oxycodone arrest: Titusville pharmacist arrested; pharmacy raided by federal agents
“To put into perspective how dangerous that amount of fentanyl can be, 605 grams is enough to kill 302,500 people,” Lt. Graig Erenstoft, of the West Melbourne Police Department wrote in a press release.
Fentanyl-related deaths on the Space Coast remain among the highest in the state, FDLE reported. In 2021, the latest year for statistics on drug-connected deaths, Brevard recorded 304 drug overdose deaths, including 262 opioid-related deaths, FDLE said.
More charges: Two Brevard residents indicted on murder charges in fentanyl overdoses
The arrest is the latest in a series of investigations targeting those suspected of being involved with supplying deadly painkillers. In June, federal agents arrested a Titusville pharmacist prosecutors said was illegally distributing drugs like oxycodone. In May, a Brevard County grand jury indicted two people in separate homicide cases involving deadly overdoses related to fentanyl.
Agents also located a loaded Glock 9mm handgun on a windowsill in East's residence. In addition, two large bags containing methamphetamine and another packed with crack cocaine, and smaller bags containing cocaine packaged for sale, were found, police reported.
No court date for East has been set.
J.D. Gallop is a criminal justice/breaking news reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Gallop at 321-917-4641 or jdgallop@floridatodan.com. Twitter: @JDGallop.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Fentanyl seized in Florida could kill half of Brevard County, police say
