SAN ANTONIO – The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office arrested a 19-year-old driver after deputies found 40,000 pills that are believed to contain fentanyl in his car.
BCSO said the pills are worth about $120,000 and were found on Oct. 6 in a Toyota Camry driven by Brian Betancourt.
Investigators tested a small portion of the pills, and they tested positive for fentanyl.
Deputies had pulled Betancourt over in the 6800 block of San Pedro Ave. for a traffic violation and found a white powdery substance on the driver’s side floorboard, BCSO said in a Facebook post.
BCSO Street Crimes Seize 40,000 Deadly Pills During Traffic Stop On October 6, 2023, the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office...
Posted by Bexar County Sheriff's Office on Thursday, October 12, 2023
Betancourt said the substance was cocaine and deputies searched the car, the post states.
Deputies then found two packages wrapped in foil and duct tape that contained blue pills, which they suspected contained fentanyl.
BCSO said due to the large amount of potentially lethal drugs, only a small portion was tested.
However, a spokesman with BCSO said they believe all 40,000 pills contain fentanyl. BCSO released the following statement:
Due to the potential potency of being in custody of such a large amount of a deadly substance, investigators only test a small portion and review the substance visually to see if what was seized appears to be the same substance that just tested positive.
In this case only a small portion was tested, which came back positive for fentanyl. Additionally, the seized narcotics appear to all look the same, leading investigators to believe that the entire seizure are all fentanyl pills.
Being that this case is now under investigation, the total amount seized will be further tested at the state labs, etc.
Betancourt is facing charges of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance PG1 over 400G and possession of a controlled substance PG1 1-4G, records with the Bexar County Jail show.
Fentanyl is considered exponentially more addictive than heroin. It is now the leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 18 and 49.
A tiny amount, 2 milligrams, ingested into the body can be fatal.
If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, click here to find resources to help.
