A series of recent arrests in Montgomery County leads to a large amount of drugs being seized. Five people have been arrested in three separate incidents in Cherryvale, Independence and the Sycamore area.
On December 24th, deputies recovered a stolen vehicle at a residence in Cherryvale, where more than three grams of meth were found. Rachel McKenzie of Cherryvale was arrested. Then on January 3rd, deputies made two separate traffic stops in Independence and near Sycamore. In those stops, deputies seized more than fifteen grams of methamphetamine, along with cocaine, marijuana, pills and more than six grams of suspected carfentanil. Breeanna Conard was arrested in Independence and Heather Leach, Tyler Norton and Noah Daniel were all arrested near Sycamore. All five were arrested on multiple drug-related charges, including distribution of fentanyl.
In total, deputies seized methamphetamine, fentanyl-related substances, carfentanil, cocaine, marijuana, pills and paraphernalia. Sheriff Ron Wade says carfentanil poses an extraordinary public safety risk. The synthetic opioid is estimated to be 100 times more potent than fentanyl and up to 10,000 times stronger than morphine. Officials say as little as 20 micrograms can be lethal, meaning the amount seized could potentially contain hundreds of thousands of fatal doses.
