‘Major fentanyl and methamphetamine’ bust in Wichita, official says

Officers made a “major fentanyl and methamphetamine” bust after raiding two Wichita homes on Thursday, Kansas Bureau of Investigation spokesperson Melissa Underwood said.

Officer seized 60,000 fentanyl pills, 59 pounds of methamphetamine, and 4.2 pounds of fentanyl powder.

“At this time the suspects have not been arrested,” she said.

Based on information gathered Wednesday, officers executed “four search warrants at two residences in south Wichita and one residence in northwest Wichita,” Underwood said in a news release.

She said that the bust would have a conservative street value of around $270,000.

“It could be worth more depending on resale, but drugs purchased in major quantities will often see a discount for bulk purchases, just like you see with legal products,” she said.

Underwood said, when buying in bulk, a fentanyl pill can go from between $2.50 to $5 per pill, which would give a value of between $150,000 to $300,000. She said that gram of meth can go from $20 to $40, giving it a street value of $534,000 to over $1 million.

“In bulk a pound of meth in this quantity is likely around $800-850,” she said. “The powder is hard to calculate value because it will require additional testing to determine its purity. It could make anywhere between 150,000 pills to over a million pills, depending on how pure it is so estimating now is difficult.”

Fentanyl brings extra concerns because of its lethality. One pill has the potential to be fatal, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid. The Drug Enforcement Agency says it is 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine. Opioid deaths, mainly driven by fentanyl, have been on the rise nationally, statewide and in Sedgwick County.

The KBI, Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations and DEA were all involved in the raids. The raids were done as an effort by the KBI’s Joint Fentanyl Impact Team, which was formed by Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach to curb fentanyl overdose deaths.

This story was originally published December 1, 2023 at 12:19 PM.