11:19,

YEREVAN, MAY 23, ARMENPRESS. The State Revenue Committee’s anti-smuggling division has thwarted an attempted smuggling of unprecedented amount of Fentanyl in the region.

In a statement released on May 23, the State Revenue Committee said the investigation began when a U.S. citizen residing in Yerevan was detained while receiving a postal package containing 10,8 grams of heroin.

Investigators revealed the accomplices of the smuggler and gathered information of another incoming smuggling attempt. The second suspect, a citizen of Armenia, was detained while receiving a postal package containing 80 tablets of Fentanyl hidden in a candy box. Authorities searched the residence of the suspect and found two loaded Makarov handguns and numerous used syringes with traces of narcotics.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine, authorities warned. Fentanyl causes more fatal overdose cases than any other narcotic. 

Fentanyl is a major contributor to fatal and nonfatal overdoses in the U.S.

According to the United States DEA, two milligrams of fentanyl can be lethal depending on a person’s body size, tolerance and past usage.  DEA analysis has found counterfeit pills ranging from .02 to 5.1 milligrams (more than twice the lethal dose) of fentanyl per tablet.

42% of pills tested for fentanyl contained at least 2 mg of fentanyl, considered a potentially lethal dose, according to DEA. 

Drug trafficking organizations typically distribute fentanyl by the kilogram.  One kilogram of fentanyl has the potential to kill 500,000 people, according to DEA.