FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. — A man who was found asleep in his truck in Palm Coast had 338 grams of fentanyl on him, "enough to kill the entire population of Flagler and Putnam counties," or 169,000 people, the Flagler County Sheriff's Office said in a press release.
James Wilson Duke of Kennesaw, Georgia, was arrested just after 4 a.m. on Sunday at a Mobil gas station in Palm Coast.
A deputy found Duke asleep in his car when he responded to an alarm, FCSO said. He claimed he had permission to be there, but couldn't tell the officer who told him that.
He also gave officers the incorrect multiple times, according to FCSO.
Once deputies figured out his real name, they looked Duke up and saw that he had an outstanding arrest warrant in Knox County, Tennessee for failure to appear in court. He was then arrested for giving a false name to law enforcement, loitering or prowling and resisting an officer, FSCO said.
While impounding the truck, deputies found a syringe underneath the passenger seat, then found a black fanny pack with "multiple" plastic bags full of fentanyl in the car. The fentanyl totaled 338 grams, police said.
The DEA estimates it only takes two milligrams of fentanyl to cause a deadly overdose.
"This is the second time in less than a week we've found enough fentanyl on a fugitive to potentially kill over 100,000 people," said Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly. "This dirtbag had enough on him to potentially kill 169,000 people. Street grade fentanyl is flooding our country from Mexico and Flagler County is not immune from this poison."
Duke now also faces charges of trafficking fentanyl (more than 28 grams), possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of burglary tools, as well as the original arrest charges.
The other arrest Staly referenced in his statement is the arrest of a man who had an outstanding warrant in Volusia and Orange counties on Friday. FSCO said 52-year-old Adrian Rivers had enough fentanyl on his person to kill over 100,000 people when he was arrested in Palm Coast.
He had 219 grams of fentanyl and 533 grams of marijuana on him, FSCO said.
Body camera shows that police smelled marijuana when they pulled over a driver for a broken headlight. Rivers was in the passenger seat. Police proceeded to search the car and find the drugs, FSCO said.
