LYNNWOOD — Officers discovered about 1,900 grams of fentanyl worth an estimated $19 million when they arrested a Lynnwood couple Saturday morning, according to documents filed in Snohomish County Superior Court.
Investigators also reportedly found around 808 grams of heroin, 12 grams of methamphetamine, $14,000 in cash, and equipment that suggested the couple had planned to package and sell the drugs. The man and woman were arrested by the Snohomish Regional Drug Task Force.
A judge set bail for both suspects Monday afternoon — $1.5 million for him and $750,000 for her. Neither appeared in front of the judge because of medical reasons. The Daily Herald does not typically name suspects unless they have been charged with a crime.
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration a potentially fatal dose of fentanyl is 2 milligrams, a task force officer noted in his report.
“The amount of fentanyl powder that (the couple) possessed at their residence has the capability to cause the death of about 700,000 citizens,” he wrote.
The 38-year-old man was arrested for investigation of three different counts of drug manufacturing with intent to deliver, along with three counts of unlawful possession of a firearm. He has been convicted of previous felonies, including first-degree robbery and possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, court papers show.
“(He) was in possession of about 1,900 grams of fentanyl powder in order to produce counterfeit pills,” the officer wrote. “The amount of fentanyl powder present at arrest could produce about 1.9 million counterfeit pills with a street value of at least $19 million.”
His girlfriend has been accused of one count of possession of heroin, and three counts of drug manufacturing with intent to deliver.
Officers with the Snohomish Regional Drug Task Force were tracking the couple for some time, and had already been approved for a search warrant for their home and a dark blue Maserati sedan. Investigators later learned the suspects purchased the luxury car with $10,000 in cash the month before.
Saturday morning, officers followed the couple from their Lynnwood home off of 35th Avenue West to the Arlington Municipal Airport. They parked near one of the airplane hangars around 10:15 a.m. They were detained without incident soon after, the officer wrote.
Officers began to search the car. In the center console they found various keys labeled with words such as “bed” and “home,” along with a green and yellow rubber container that held 13 grams of what initial tests showed to be heroin.
After the woman was read her Miranda Rights, she admitted the heroin was hers. She reportedly said she had been using the drug for about two years.
Also inside the car, an unloaded pistol was found under the carpet on the floorboards of the passenger’s side, where the man had been sitting.
Soon after, investigators searched their home. Inside the master bedroom, walk-in closet and bathroom they allegedly found:
About 1,400 grams of fentanyl powder in vacuum-sealed plastic bags
About 808 grams of heroin
About 12 grams of methamphetamine
Several blenders with suspected drug residue inside
Several digital scales with suspected drug residue on the weigh plates
Drug packing materials
Cutting agents for the manufacture of illicit narcotics for sale
Binding agents for the purpose of producing counterfeit pills
A 9-millimeter Walther brand handgun
A pistol-grip 12-gauge shotgun with a sawed-off barrel and removed serial number
Ammunition
About $14,000 in cash
The two guns were within feet of the vacuum-sealed packages of fentanyl in the walk-in closet, according to the officer’s report.
The woman allegedly told police the pair would buy counterfeit “Perc 30” pills for $10 a piece, and resell them for about $16 each.
“This would mean that the supply of fentanyl powder possessed by (the couple), when pressed into counterfeit pills, would have an approximate street value of between $14 million (wholesale) & $23 million,” the officer wrote.
The pills usually are blue and round, imprinted with the markings “M 30.” When the pills are not fake, they are made of oxycodone.
Because of the cash and drugs found in their home, plus their “admitted spending habits,” the task force officer recommended the high bail amount. The couple told investigators that while they were unemployed, they visited casinos three to five times per week.
The officer believed the couple would “most likely have access to larger sums of cash and may flee to avoid prosecution.”
Both are being held in the Snohomish County Jail.
Stephanie Davey: 425-339-3192; sdavey@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @stephrdavey.
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