Drug bust in Lafayette leads to arrest; seizure of fentanyl and heroin

LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) – A man was arrested on Oct. 17 for possessing large amounts of fentanyl and heroin.

According to the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office, Narcotics Agents were executing a search warrant on Oct. 17 in the 100 block of Hansel Dr. when they located more than 630 grams of fentanyl, as well as, nearly 140 grams of heroin and a handgun were seized.

Terral Blackwell, 46, was arrested and charged with the following:

Possession with the intent to Distribute (PWITD) Schedule I Controlled Dangerous Substances (CDS)PWITD Schedule II CDS (2 counts)
Possession of a Firearm in the Presence of CDS
Possession of a Firearm by a Person Convicted of Certain Felonies
Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
Felony Monetary Instrument Abuse (outstanding arrest warrant)

Blackwell was booked into the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center.

Valerie Ponsetti with LPSO said deputies found an amount of fentanyl and heroin large enough to be fatal to hundreds of thousands of people.

“Just to kind of put it into perspective, the fentanyl, specifically the amount of fentanyl, it was over 630 grams, which according to the DEA and their website and their information, could potentially be fatal to about 318,000 people,” said Ponseti.

In a previous interview State Representative John Stefanski says fentanyl is dangerous, even a very small amount of the drug can be fatal.

“Only two milligrams of fentanyl can actually kill you if two milligrams will kill you. 28 grams has the propensity to kill thousands of people. And so, I mean, it’s it might not sound like a lot, but but in actuality, with the deadliness of this drug, it’s it’s pretty severe,” said Stefanski.

He says the severity of the drug is so high, that anyone dealing the narcotic in large quantities could face life in prison.

“There’s really, in my opinion, no excuse for dealing fentanyl in this state. And if you do it in quantities larger than 28 grams, you could potentially face life imprisonment,” Stefanski explained.

Ponseti says the large amount of fentanyl and heroin recovered is just one step closer to the sheriff’s department continuing to combat the fentanyl crisis.

“It was quite a lot of fentanyl and a large amount as well of heroin that’s taken off of the streets here in Lafayette Parish. We have a robust narcotics unit over here at the sheriff’s office and they’re constantly working cases and doing investigations just like this one. And getting those results. It’s not something that we’re going to be going to sleep on any time soon,” said Ponseti