NEW HANOVER COUNTY — Nearly 13 pounds of a powdered substance, initially touted as the state’s largest bust of fentanyl, is apparently a mix of sugars; the false positive has led to some changes in how the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office handles incidents involving the deadly synthetic opioid.
RELATED: New Hanover Sheriff: 13 pounds of fentanyl seized in one of North Carolina’s largest busts
In July, the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office (NHCSO) announced the bust, including the seizure of heroin, marijuana, and 12.7 pounds of a substance identified as fentanyl, given the estimated value of $2 million.
Sheriff Ed McMahon said at the time it was the largest fentanyl bust in the county, adding, “As far as we can tell this is one of the largest seizures in the state.”
It later became clear that preliminary testing, done before the NHCSO’s private lab could analyze the substance, had generated a false positive. Mass spectrometer test results, delivered to NHCSO this week, revealed the substance was a mix of simple and complex sugars — no fentanyl or other opioid were present.
“We’ve since been told by the manufacturer of those test kits that there are some substances that can trigger a positive result, including simple and complex sugars,” NHCSO Spokesperson Lt. Jerry Brewer said.
According to Brewer, Sheriff McMahon has since made it a policy to not file any fentanyl charges until the private lab has more rigorously analyzed the substance.
So, what were the suspects doing with 13 pounds of “simple and complex” sugars — some of which, from photos taken at the July press conference, may have been the baby formula Similac (which contains the complex sugar lactose).
According to Brewer, the Sheriff’s Office can’t officially confirm. However, he said it was a “reasonable suggestion” that the sugars were being used as a cutting agent. Brewer added that, given the strength of fentanyl — which can be 50 times more powerful than heroin — a small amount of the opioid could be mixed into the sugar and then sold as heroin.
As for the suspects themselves, their fentanyl-related charges were dropped by District Attorney Ben David. However, they remain in jail, awaiting trial on the remaining possession and drug charges, according to Brewer.
