A North Carolina woman was discovered to be in possession of two kilograms of fentanyl, which is enough to kill one million people, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. The agency also noted that fentanyl is “similar to morphine but about 100 times more potent.”
Karen Garcia Euceda was arrested by Durham County Sheriff’s Office deputies after the drugs were discovered in her vehicle, Fox 8 reports. Her 4-year-old daughter was also in the car. Euceda was the focus of an open investigation and was stopped while driving in Durham. The child has been placed in the custody of a relative.
The 24-year-old has been hit with two charges of trafficking and misdemeanor child abuse. She’s currently being held at a local jail under a $100,000 secured bond.
While fentanyl is a prescription drug, it also has illegal uses, such as lacing street drugs like heroin or fake prescription drugs like xanax. Opioid-related deaths have continually surged this year, with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection also reporting a disturbing rise in fentanyl seizures.
On May 18, the governmental agency revealed that it has already confiscated more fentanyl in 2021 than in all of 2020. As of April, Border Patrol has seized 6,494 pounds of the drug this year compared to 2020, when they seized 4,776 pounds. In 2018, agents reportedly came across 2,300 pounds of the deadly narcotic.
