Baton Rouge police make largest fentanyl seizure in Louisiana history

BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — The Baton Rouge Police Department announced Wednesday they have made the state’s largest fentanyl seizure.

Last week, police arrested Cendy Sammy Keophimanh , 42, after search warrants led to the seizure of various guns and drugs.

As part of the ongoing investigation, authorities conducted another search warrant at a location on Vermillion Drive and seized 181 pounds of fentanyl with Para-Fluorofentanyl analogues. According to the police, some also contained heroin.

The DEA defined a fentanyl analogue as “a substance intended for human consumption that is substantially similar in its chemical makeup and effects to fentanyls already listed in Schedule I.”

Detectives also seized a money counter, an air hydraulic shop press, 42-kilogram stamps, Adderall and Xanax.

BRPD said Keophimanh is also now 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-fluorofentanyl).
• Possession with intent to distribute Schedule I (Heroin).
• Possession with intent to distribute Schedule II (Fentanyl).

“Our Special Investigations Unit is committed to removing dangerous drugs and violent criminals from our streets and this is a prime example of that commitment. The hard work and dedication of this unit and all the other law enforcement agencies and federal partners are having a direct impact on our community. Fentanyl is the leading cause of overdose deaths in East Baton Rouge Parish. The latest stats show that our fatal overdoses are currently down by 30.12% and our non-fatal overdoses are down by 13.01%. The drugs seized in this investigation have the potential to save 42 million lives,” police said in a news release.

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