Restaurant expected package of mugs — but got 31 pounds of fentanyl instead, cops say
Restaurant employees thought a recent order of mugs arrived when a large wooden crate was dropped off at the establishment, according to police. But they were wrong.
The employees opened the crate and instead found 31 pounds worth of fentanyl on April 28 in Auburn, Maine, the city’s police department said in an April 29 news release.
The drugs shipped from Arizona were inside a plastic tote with a shipping label including the restaurant’s address and the name of a man unfamiliar to the employees, authorities said. Then, the employees called the police.
About an hour after officers arrived, the man, 41, of Auburn, showed up at the restaurant asking about the shipment and was arrested, according to authorities.
A chemical field examination conducted at the police department revealed the substance inside the crate was fentanyl, police said. They estimated it to be worth $3 million, according to the release.
Fentanyl is an opioid about 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine.
Now, the man is facing charges including aggravated illegal importation of scheduled drugs, aggravated trafficking of scheduled drugs and violation of conditional release, according to police.
Police also seized $2,780 worth of “drug proceeds” from the man before he was booked in jail without bail, according to police.
“We do anticipate that our state and federal partners will be joining this investigation,” Deputy Chief Tim Cougle said in a statement.
The man’s arrest comes after he served years in federal prison following a conviction for cocaine distribution in August 2007, the release said.
The US opioid crisis
Overdoses are a leading cause of injury-related death in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In 2021, there were nearly 51,000 overdose deaths in the country, according to CDC data. In the past 21 years, drug overdoses have killed more than 932,000 people, the CDC reported.
“The majority of overdose deaths involve opioids. Deaths involving synthetic opioids (largely illicitly made fentanyl) and stimulants (such as cocaine and methamphetamine) have increased in recent years,” the CDC said. “For every drug overdose that results in death, there are many more nonfatal overdoses, each one with its own emotional and economic toll.”
Millions of people in the U.S. have an opioid addiction, according to the CDC. Addiction is a “chronic and relapsing disease that can affect anyone.”
Auburn is about 35 miles southwest of Augusta.
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