Methuen Police Seize $1.2 Million Worth Of 'China White' Fentanyl
METHUEN (CBS) – About $1.2 million worth of fentanyl is off the streets after a drug bust in Methuen Monday morning.
Police responded to a 911 call at 8:41 a.m. for a report of an armed man in a taxi on Glen Avenue.
The caller told police that the man got out of the vehicle, took a gun from a duffel bag and concealed it before getting back in the taxi.
The information led to the arrest of 32-year-old Robinson Rojas-Rosario, of Queens, New York. He was found to be carrying 15 kilos of fentanyl, which were individually packed and labeled "China White."
Fentanyl is a powerful opioid that can be up to 100 times more potent than morphine.
.@MethuenPolice: Robinson Rojas-Rosario had 15 individually packed "China White" fentanyl in a duffel bag w/ a street value of $1.2M
— Bernice Freedman (@BerniceNews) January 2, 2017
"Thanks to the keen observations of this witness and the quick response from police, we were able to take an extremely large amount of fentanyl off of our streets," Chief Joseph Solomon said in a statement. "This is a great example of why we tell people to say something if they see something."
Rojas-Rosario is being charged with major trafficking of fentanyl. He's being held on $100,000 bail pending an arraignment at Lawrence District Court.
In an unrelated case in Methuen, a 10-month old was hospitalized after being exposed to fentanyl over the weekend.