4 Kilos Of Fentanyl Found During Beaumont Traffic Stop

BEAUMONT, CA — Beaumont police announced this week that they found 4 kilos of fentanyl during a traffic stop in the city. If the illicit haul made it to the streets, it had the potential to kill up to 2 million people.

The traffic stop was made Monday morning, according to Beaumont Police Department spokeswoman Marcedes Cashmer, who did not provide an address or time.

During the stop, the department's new K-9, Murph, sniffed out the fentanyl.

A San Jacinto man was arrested, but police did not release his identity.

Four kilos of fentanyl is enough to poison about 2 million people, based on previous statements from law enforcement that have warned it takes around 2 milligrams of fentanyl to kill a human.

Riverside County, like other parts of the state and country, has been inundated with the synthetic opioid, which authorities say is manufactured in China and is often smuggled into the United States from Mexico. The drug is very cheap to manufacture and is estimated to be 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine, according to law enforcement.

Fentanyl is not typically marketed to end-users. Instead, counterfeit oxycodone, Percocet, Xanax, and other "medications" are made with junk filler and laced with fentanyl. The fake pills are pressed in unsterile environments and made to look like real prescription meds that can easily fool black market buyers. The pills cost little to make, so the profit margin is greater for criminal drug rings.

Many if not most people who become ill or die from fentanyl poisoning are unaware they are consuming the illicit drug, according to law enforcement. Last month, Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin warned the county is on track to lose 500-600 people to fentanyl poisoning in 2021.

When enough evidence exists, the DA in partnership with local law enforcement is now pursuing second-degree murder charges against drug dealers who peddle deadly substances that kill unsuspecting victims. Riverside County's first such cases involving fentanyl were filed this year.

Related:

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