Woman at Center of Major Drug and Gun Bust in Lafayette

As Lafayette Police and Sheriff's deputies continue the work to rid the Hub City of drugs - including the incredibly dangerous fentanyl - their latest drug bust involves a young woman who is accused of being in possession of over $271,000 worth of drugs and a couple of guns.

Investigators targeted 216 Longview Drive within the city of Lafayette. As you can see above, Longview Drive is located off Cameron Street not far from Cameron's intersection with Ambassador Caffery.

Once at the residence, narcotics agents say they made quite a find.

• 1,216 grams of crystal methamphetamine
• 310 grams of marijuana
• 109,263 milliliters (231 pints) of promethazine syrup
• 4 suspected fentanyl pills
• a Masterpiece Arms Defender 9MM pistol
• a Glock Model 22 .40-caliber pistol
• various drug paraphernalia items

That's a total street value of $271,172.00.

Lafayette Police say 23-year-old Jalyn Landry is at the center of the bust. But, she wasn't at the residence as the search warrant was being executed, so an arrest warrant has been issued for Landry for the following offenses:

• RS 40:966A Possession of CDS Schedule I with Intent to Distribute (Marijuana)
• RS 40:966C Possession of CDS Schedule I (Fentanyl)
• RS 40:967A Possession of CDS Schedule II with Intent to Distribute (Crystal Methamphetamine)
• RS 40:1060.13 Possession of a Legend Drug without Prescription with Intent to Distribute (Promethazine)
• RS 40:1023 Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
• 2 counts of RS 14:95E Illegal Possession of a Firearm in Presence of a Controlled Dangerous Substance

All persons innocent until proven guilty.

Fentanyl has become a leading drug in an epidemic that takes over 100,000 lives each year, according to the CDC. The drug is often added to heroin without it being disclosed to the person buying the drug. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency outlines how dangerous fentanyl has become:

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 80-100 times stronger than morphine. Pharmaceutical fentanyl was developed for pain management treatment of cancer patients, applied in a patch on the skin. Because of its powerful opioid properties, Fentanyl is also diverted for abuse. Fentanyl is added to heroin to increase its potency, or be disguised as highly potent heroin. Many users believe that they are purchasing heroin and actually don’t know that they are purchasing fentanyl – which often results in overdose deaths. Clandestinely-produced fentanyl is primarily manufactured in Mexico.

 

In the video below, CBC News gives you a visual of how the painkiller became a public health crisis and why law enforcement officers across the country are fighting hard to get it off the streets.