A man from Philadelphia was detained after being charged with bringing drugs, including carfentanil—a substance 100 times more potent than fentanyl—into our region.
The Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office stated that Brendan Fuentes, 23, was apprehended in Latrobe on Monday following reports that someone was heading to Latrobe via an Amtrak train with the intention of selling both heroin and cocaine.
Around 8 p.m., authorities were stationed at the Latrobe train station waiting for the arrival of the train coming from Philadelphia.
After the train came to a stop, according to law enforcement officials, they observed Fuentes disembark while holding two plastic sacks and seemingly waited for transportation.
The police stated that Fuentes subsequently entered a pickup truck located in a neighboring parking area.
The investigators subsequently stopped the vehicle and noticed drug-related items clearly visible inside. The plastic bags observed being carried by Fuentes were taken out of the truck, and a police dog alerted to the presence of drugs within those bags.
Following this, law enforcement carried out a search warrant during which they discovered around 1.05 ounces of carfentanil and about one ounce of crack cocaine inside some packages, as reported by officials. These substances were packaged in plastic shrink wrap, alongside multiple bars of soap, and topped with Vicks VapoRub to mask their scent from the detection dog.
Carfentanil is 100 times more potent than fentanyl; just a small amount, about the size of a grain of sand, can be fatal," stated Westmoreland County District Attorney Ziccarelli. "Seizing these deadly substances has the potential to save numerous lives. I'm extremely grateful for the thorough efforts demonstrated by our law enforcement officials.
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