Three people were arrested on multiple charges, including Possession of Fentanyl, after Paris Police found the deadly synthetic opioid during a traffic stop on Tuesday.
Police stopped the vehicle in the 10 block of NE 8th Street and due to suspicious behavior by the driver, Cassidy Lynn Lahman (41), officers elected to investigate the situation further.
Lahman gave officers a fictitious name, claiming to be Brittney Mathis and was detained for Failure to Identify as a Fugitive from Justice. It was found that she had outstanding warrants from the Paris Municipal Court, as well as from Lamar County Sheriff’s Office.
During the stop, officers also observed a pickaxe in the vehicle and for officer safety ordered all passengers, including passengers Phillip Aaron Pullins (49) and Starla Larie Queen (42), to disembark.
Pullins and Queen refused to exit the vehicle (Queen having outstanding municipal warrants) and had to be physically removed from the vehicle and forcibly handcuffed.
Both were arrested and charged with Resisting Arrest or Detention.
Officers located a large amount of methamphetamine, as well as a sizable amount of what tested to be Fentanyl in the immediate area of all three subjects.
All were charged with Possession of Methamphetamine and Possession of Fentanyl, as well as the misdemeanor warrants and on view misdemeanors as well.
“Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. Illicit fentanyl is sold alone or added to other drugs (such as heroin, methamphetamine, counterfeit pills, cocaine, and more) to make them cheaper and more powerful. When mixed into other drugs, fentanyl cannot be seen, smelled, or tasted; therefore, drug detecting equipment (like fentanyl test strips) are needed to test for the presence of fentanyl. A lethal dosage of fentanyl is equivalent to about 5 grains of salt,” said police.