Raw fentanyl and 1,000 fentanyl-laced pills were seized from a Penn Hills man Thursday after an undercover buy-bust in North Huntingdon, according to court papers.
Police said they were given permission by Letonio C. Morand, 20, to search his apartment after a confidential informant bought 1,000 stamp bags of suspected heroin and fentanyl from him at a township motel. The drugs were sent to a lab for analysis and Morand was arrested and denied bail.
Investigators with the Westmoreland County Drug Task Force worked with the informant to set up the deal with Morand. After the drugs and cash were exchanged, police arrested him, according to court papers. A woman who was in the SUV with him permitted police to search it and was later released.
Authorities said they seized 5.4 grams of raw fentanyl, 15.5 grams of crack cocaine and about a half a pound of marijuana from Morand’s apartment. He was being held at the Westmoreland County Prison on drug and related charges and did not have an attorney listed in online court records. A preliminary hearing is set for Aug. 16.
The Drug Enforcement Administration issued an alert in September 2021 about fake prescription pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine. The counterfeit pills can be created by large drug networks in Mexico or by anyone who has access to a pill press. They can resemble Oxycontin, Xanax or other legitimate drugs.
Many of the counterfeit pills the DEA seized in 2021 and 2022 contained fentanyl. Last year, six out of every 10 fake pill confiscated contained a potentially lethal dose of the drug.
Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid more powerful than heroin, has contributed to an explosion of drug overdose deaths in the region for several years.
