Colonie Police officers seize large quantity of fentanyl
COLONIE, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Colonie Police say a Mount Vernon man is facing charges involving the seizure of 29 grams of fentanyl. The amount may seem small, but when you consider that fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin, getting it off the streets likely saved lives.
Colonie police officers say they witnessed Guy Crawford pulling out of the Scottish Inn on Central Avenue driving 20 miles per hour in a 40 mile per hour zone. Police say he was found to have 13 suspensions on his license, and a search of his vehicle revealed some marijuana.
Inside his motel room, Colonie police say they found more marijuana, heroin and 29 grams of fentanyl.
Lt. Robert Winn says even a small amount of fentanyl can cause an overdose.
"It’s 50 times more potent than heroin and just 3 milligrams of fentanyl could be fatal.”
The American Medical Association recently issued a statement saying they were deeply concerned over reports of a rise in overdoses, "particularly from illicitly manufactured fentanyl and fentanyl analogs.”
The Analogs are designed to mimic the effects of the original opioid and are often added to other drugs like heroin. The AMA is calling for states to do their best to remove barriers in the treatment of opioid use disorder during the coronavirus pandemic.
Winn says his department and others have seen a steep increase in overdose calls.
“Fentanyl is the primary drug we are seeing coming back in our toxicology for our fatal drug overdoses. It was heroin, and now it is the presence of fentanyl there, " said Winn.
He says he belives this batch of fentanyl alone could have cost lives.
Crawford is facing several charges, including possession of a controlled substance, a felony.
He was released on his own recognizance to appear in court at a later date.