Baton Rouge Police Department Announces Largest Fentanyl Seizure in Louisiana’s History

Baton Rouge Police reported on Wednesday that their department made the largest Fentanyl seizure ever in Louisiana.

Coincidentally, the announcement yesterday was made on National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day.

Baton Rouge Police Department's Special Investigation arrested Cendy Keophimanh on August 15 for suspected drug dealing. Officers found 181 pounds of fentanyl during an additional search, some of it possibly mixed with heroin.

Additionally, officers found 105 dosage units of Adderall and 108 of Xanax during the seizure.

Police said that the amount of drugs seized has the potential to save 42 million lives.

This latest news comes just a week after two other properties associated with Keophimanh were raided. In those searches, they found nearly five pounds of Fentanyl and 150 pounds of Meth, the largest in the department's history at the time.

BRPD said Keophimanh has been charged with the following:

• Possession with intent to distribute Schedule II (Adderall)
• Possession with intent to distribute Schedule IV (Alprazolam)
• Possession with intent to distribute Schedule I (Para-fluoro fentanyl)
• Possession with intent to distribute Schedule I (Heroin)
• Possession with intent to distribute Schedule II (Fentanyl)

"The drug dealers are mixing the fentanyl in with other drugs in an attempt to make it addictive so that those people that are using those type of drugs, they can come back to them," BRPD Sgt. L'Jean McKneely said. "You can lose your life with just a pinhead or pencilhead amount of Fentanyl."

Police say Fentanyl is the leading cause of overdose deaths in East Baton Rouge Parish.

"We have situations in which babies come in contact with it because they're parents or guardians, someone has it inside the home," McKneely said.

BRPD officers, like many other law enforcement, always carry Narcan, which the Louisiana Department of Health provides.