Deputies arrest suspected fentanyl dealer in South Hill, seize several thousand pills
Deputies arrested a woman in South Hill on Tuesday suspected of dealing fentanyl and other drugs in Pierce County. The arrest came after a two-month investigation by the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.
The 25-year-old woman, who is an Auburn resident, was arrested for investigation of unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, according to a Facebook post from the sheriff’s department. Deputies said she was arrested in a stolen car.
Deputies recovered 3,000 fentanyl pills, 300 Xanax pills and $9,000 in cash while serving a search warrant on the woman’s apartment in Auburn.
The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department said in August that fentanyl-related overdose deaths were on the rise in Pierce County, following state and national trends. The health department said there were 55 fentanyl-related deaths from January to June 2021 based on preliminary data from the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office.
On Wednesday, health officials said more than 100,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in one year, a record high, according to the Associated Press. The growing prevalence of fentanyl and the COVID-19 pandemic were both cited as driving the overdose deaths.
This story was originally published November 18, 2021 at 9:10 AM.
