Sheriff: Clay County fentanyl bust large enough to kill majority of Kansas City

CLAY COUNTY, Mo. (KCTV) - Clay County Sheriff’s Deputies just made the department’s largest ever fentanyl bust.

Deputies said they seized enough fentanyl to kill nearly 330,000 people.

Sgt. Jeremy Fahrmeier, the Supervisor of the Clay County Drug Task Force told KCTV5 this all started from an anonymous tip, pointing deputies to Langston.

The officers found the fentanyl when they arrested 21-year-old Josiah J. Langston on a warrant Aug. 15. Deputies made the arrest near NE Parvin Road and N Skiles Ave.

“It was a long-term investigation we’ve been working with ourselves and Missouri Highway Patrol and the DEA,” Fahrmeier said. “We were able to connect the dots, put this together and find him.”

According to information from the sheriff’s office, Langston rammed a patrol car as he tried to avoid arrest. No injuries were reported during the arrest.

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Inside Langston’s vehicle, investigators said they located 1.5 pounds of powdered fentanyl, and 0.4 pounds of methamphetamine. They also found $2,000 in cash.

According to deputies two milligrams of fentanyl can be a lethal dose. The amount of fentanyl seized in the arrest could have killed nearly two-thirds of the population of Kansas City, Mo., according to the sheriff’s office.

While this is by far the biggest fentanyl bust yet, Sgt. Faharimer said within the last year, they’re seeing more of the deadly drug on the streets.

“It’s really becoming a huge problem,” Fahrmeier said. “We’re seeing it a lot mixed in with meth, heroin, cocaine. So, it’s being utilized in other drugs as well.”

This is why he is encouraging everyone to stay alert. If you see something suspicious, call it in.

“The most common thing that we see is high traffic at a residence,” Fahrmeier said. “It’s short-term traffic. They might show up for a few minutes, or you see someone come out and meet a car and they might get in the back seat for a few minutes, things like that.”

Langston is charged with two counts of first-degree drug trafficking and one count of resisting arrest. The charges are in addition to a prior drug trafficking charge.

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He is held in the Clay County Detention Center on $450,000 bond. The investigation into the case is underway and deputies said federal charges are possible.

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