Richmond County authorities have seized more than 2,200 fentanyl pills disguised as oxycodone from an LOE gang member in Augusta.
The discovery at the home of convicted drug dealer Carl Crawford came Tuesday as Augusta probation officers were conducting a compliance check on Libby Drive.
During Tuesday’s search of Crawford’s bedroom, deputies found a clear piece of plastic with one gram of cocaine in it. But they were more interested in the locked metal case on his dresser.
The discovery was made during a probation compliance check at the suspect’s home at 3015 Libby Drive (pictured).
They got the combination from Crawford, and officers found a load of pills inside marked with M-30, the sign for oxycodone. But the pills did not test positive for oxycodone, and authorities soon discovered why: The bags of pills were fentanyl pressed to look like oxycodone.
Investigators found a total of 2,219 fentanyl pills in multiple bags, which is over half a pound. They also seized over 160 grams of marijuana, according to arrest warrants.
The seizure comes as the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration warned that two Mexican cartels are behind the influx of fentanyl in the U.S. that’s killing tens of thousands of Americans.
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“Those cartels are acting with calculated, deliberate treachery to get fentanyl to the United States and to get people to buy it through fake pills, by hiding it in other drugs, any means that they can take in order to drive addiction and to make money,” DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said last week.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50-100 times stronger than morphine. Fentanyl is often added to heroin to increase its potency. Many users believe that they are purchasing other drugs and actually don’t know that they are purchasing fentanyl – which often results in overdose deaths, according to the DEA.
Crawford, 32, was charged with trafficking synthetic narcotic, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, cocaine possession and unlawful street gang activity. He remained in the Richmond County jail on Saturday under no bond.
Crawford is the same man who spent 10 years in prison for wounding a man in an attempted robbery at an ATM machine. And last year, Judge Ashley Wright sentenced him on several charges including possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. He was given credit for a 14 months served in jail and released on 10 years of probation.
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According to local authorities, Crawford is a known member of the Loyalty Over Everything (LOE) gang with tattoos as evidence.
He even has a tattoo commemorating the murder of Gerald Clifford, also known as “Gangsta,” who was killed by LOE members in 2014 while driving his vehicle on Bobby Jones Expressway.
Five people were later charged with murder in that case. Crawford was not one of them.
In the 2008 robbery case, Crawford was a teenager when he joined two others while trying to hold up a man at an ATM on Gordon Highway. The three assaulted the man. Two shots were fired, and the victim was either grazed by a bullet or hit with concrete debris, authorities said.
Crawford was given 10 years in that case and five more for a weapon possession charge. He was released from prison in 2018.
This would not be the first fentanyl case in the nation where authorities found the drug disguised as oxycodone. There are many cases.
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In November 2020, detectives in Idaho arrested a male suspect for trafficking charges after finding him in possession of a large number of pills with an “M” (front) and “30” (back) pressed on them. Lab testing showed they were in fact Fentanyl.
The suspect, who was contacted in a Meridian motel, stated in an interview that he was sent there by an out-of-state cartel contact with the express purpose of selling the pills, along with the large amounts of meth and heroin.
After a Colorado bust last year of 3,000 fentanyl pills disguised as oxycodone, DEA Agent David Olesky said this: “This is unfortunately another example of someone selling counterfeit fentanyl-laced pills disguised as a legitimate diverted medication in our community.”
Greg Rickabaugh is the Jail Report contributor for The Augusta Press. Reach him at greg.rickabaugh@theaugustapress.com
