CLAY COUNTY, Fla. — Clay County Sheriff Michelle Cook announced the sheriff’s office disrupted a major drug operation between California, Fleming Island, and Orange Park.
The bust includes the seizure of more than 8,350 grams of fentanyl, which officials said could kill more than four million people. Investigators believed the drugs came into California over the Mexican border and likely has links to a well-known cartel.
RELATED: Sheriff gives details on major fentanyl bust in Clay County
The seizure also included illegal guns, cocaine and marijuana. The network stretches up to Duval and Nassau counties, and deputies continue to investigate and expect more arrests to come.
Jason Setzer and Alvin Mercado Jr. are now charged with trafficking fentanyl, among other charges. They face a combined 200 years in prison.
Setzer has a $17 million bond, while Mercado has a $10 million bond, which Sheriff Cook said speaks to the severity of the crimes involved.
It comes as fentanyl has become a public health emergency, according to doctors.
RELATED: Death by dealer: Man sold fentanyl to Clay man who died of drug overdose, deputies say
“These deaths are more than just numbers. They are sons. They are daughters. They are moms and dads, brothers and sisters,” Cook said.
She was joined by Attorney General Ashley Moody at a press conference in Green Cove Springs Wednesday. Moody has urged awareness of the fentanyl crisis statewide as of late, with the slogan “one pill can kill.”
“This is a substance that will kill, and people are selling this and poisoning Floridians knowing that it can have deadly consequences,” Cook said.
As one example of people selling the deadly drug, the sheriff’s office also announced Michael Stanley was charged with manslaughter at Wednesday’s briefing (Death by dealer: Man sold fentanyl to Clay man who died of drug overdose, deputies say — Action News Jax). Deputies said he sold fentanyl to a 31-year-old in Green Cove Springs neighbor, who died from an overdose.
Dr. Christine Cauffield, the CEO of LSF Health Systems, said they see the epidemic in their emergency room daily. Drugs like Xanax and Adderall are now also laced with fentanyl. Rainbow fentanyl looks like sprinkles, Cauffield explained, and targets children and young teens.
“Now you don’t know what you’re buying, and I can’t emphasize the danger of this enough. This is a real public health emergency,” she told Action News Jax’s Robert Grant.
Cauffield said LSF Health Systems has specialists to help patients with recovery.
Click HERE for help with drug addiction and recovery.
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
