A Georgia man found sleeping in his truck was busted in Florida with enough fentanyl to potentially kill the entire populations of Flagler and Putnam Counties, authorities said Monday.
James Duke, 33, of Kennesaw, Georgia, was arrested just after 4 a.m. on Sunday at a closed Mobil gas station in Palm Coast, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office said.
Deputies had responded to an alarm at the gas station and found Duke sleeping in a black Ford Ranger parked behind the building. After a deputy woke him up, Duke claimed he had permission to be there and gave a fake name, the sheriff’s office said.
The deputy eventually learned Duke’s correct name and that he had a non-extraditable arrest warrant from the Knox County Sheriff’s Office in Tennessee for failure to appear in court.
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Deputies arrested Duke for giving a false name to law enforcement, loitering or prowling and resisting an officer – before making another discovery while impounding his vehicle.
Deputies found a loaded syringe underneath a passenger seat and multiple plastic bags filled with fentanyl inside a fanny pack, the sheriff’s office said. Deputies also found empty plastic bags with fentanyl residue inside a suitcase in the truck.
The fentanyl totaled 338 grams. Two milligrams of fentanyl can be lethal depending on a person’s body size, tolerance and past usage, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
“This is the second time in less than a week we’ve found enough fentanyl on a fugitive to potentially kill over 100,000 people,” said Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly.
“This dirtbag had enough on him to potentially kill 169,000 people,” Staly continued. “Street grade fentanyl is flooding our country from Mexico and Flagler County is not immune from this poison.”
An electronic weighing scale and tool bag filled with hammers, screwdrivers and wire cutters were also found inside Duke’s vehicle.
Duke was additionally charged with trafficking in fentanyl and possession with intent of burglary tools and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Duke was being held on $508,000 bond at the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility.
