Clay County deputies seize marijuana laced with fentanyl

MIDDLEBURG, Fla. – More than an ounce of marijuana laced with the deadly synthetic narcotic fentanyl was among the drugs seized Friday morning after the traffic stop in Middleburg, according to the Clay County Sheriff's Office.

Lucas Rosier, 18, was the front seat passenger in a car that was stopped for having a headlight out at the intersection of County Road 218 and Blanding Boulevard, according to the arrest report. When a deputy asked if there were illegal narcotics in the car and gave it to the deputies, the driver said there were and provided them to the deputies​​​​​, the report said.

According to the report, 28.7 grams -- just over 1 ounce -- of a green leafy substance tested positive for fentanyl.

"This is a killer. This is a dangerous drug. You don't want to get involved with it," News4Jax crime and safety expert Ken Jefferson said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin and is responsible for nearly 30 percent of the nation's overdose deaths. The fact that the drug is being added to other, less potentially harmful drugs is leading to more overdoses by users.

"Drug dealers don't care. They're all about the profit," Jefferson said. "Supply and demand. The drug dealers are going to keep them supplied with it. They don't care what the consequences are, they just want to continue to make that money and continue to supply the product."

Rosier (pictured, right) was arrested and charged with possession of fentanyl and possession of drug paraphernalia and booked into the Clay County Jail. 

Jefferson said 1 ounce of marijuana is generally an amount considered for personal use, not for distribution.

"You do have some daredevils that will have tried that, trying to get that highest of high," Jefferson said of the fentanyl. "But, for the most part, if a person knows it's laced, they're not going to buy, it particularly if they know it's laced with fentanyl."

This traffic stop follows a series of raids last week by the Clay County Sheriff's Office of suspected meth houses in the Middleburg area. In a span of 16 hours Thursday, deputies busted three suspected meth houses within a mile of each other.

Over the weekend, the Sheriff's Office posted on Facebook: "Patrol, swat, narcotics, street crimes and our detective division with one mission to hunt you down," adding the hashtag #WeReadyAreYou.