


Louisiana police seized a whopping 2,100 lethal doses of fentanyl in a drug bust against a brother and sister duo in connection to a deadly overdose.
The East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office arrested Reginald Banks, 30, and Michelle Banks, 49, on Tuesday following a month-long investigation of a fatal overdose last December.
Following the arrests, officers searched Reginald’s areas of operation, where they found 7.5 ounces of fentanyl, a .22 caliber handgun, a hydraulic press used to process the opioid, and a digital scale.
While the Sheriff’s department noted that the amount of fentanyl seized was equivalent to about 2,100 lethal doses, the DEA notes that just two milligrams are enough to kill someone depending on their size and tolerance.
That means that the amount seized in the East Baton Rouge bust would be equal to more than 106,000 fatal doses.
East Baton Rouge narcotics agents began tracking Reginald last month after he was identified as a suspected source of supply for the fatal overdose in December.
The agents conducted three controlled purchases of fentanyl from Reginald and identified two homes where he operated — one in Livingston Parish and his sister’s house in Baton Rouge.
Reginald was charged with three counts of distribution of fentanyl, including one in East Baton Rouge and two in Ascension Parish.
He was also charged with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, operation of a clandestine lab, possession of a firearm with drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Michelle was also charged with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, operation of a clandestine lab, possession of a firearm with drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Fatal fentanyl-fueled overdoses have become all too common in the US, with the National Institute of Drug Abuse recording more than 106,000 deaths related to the opioid in 2021.
The synthetic opioid, which is at least 50 times more powerful than morphine and flows into the states from the southern border, has driven a surge of drug deaths across the country.
More than 2,800 New Yorkers died of a drug overdose — the vast majority involving fentanyl — over a 12-month span ending in July 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.