A South Florida woman is facing drug trafficking and possession charges after police say she was mixing large quantities of heroin with the dangerous opioid fentanyl.
Ayesha Narona Henry, 29, faces charges of possession of cocaine, possess and/or use of drug paraphernalia, possession of fentanyl, and trafficking fentanyl, Hollywood Police said Tuesday.
An undercover investigation into fentanyl trafficking in Hollywood led to the arrest of Henry, who sold more than $400 worth of fentanyl, police said. Detectives found 21 bags of fentanyl weighing about 6.2 grams in her car, as well as one bag of crack cocaine, police said.
Henry, of Plantation, was booked into jail and later released on bond. Attorney information wasn't available.
Florida Department of Health records showed Henry had been a registered chiropractic assistant but did not renew her license in 2014.
"Our goal is to prevent these drugs from being distributed, harming our community, and causing the rampant opioid overdoses we have seen in Broward County. That’s why it’s important for our detectives and undercover operations to concentrate on the parties responsible for selling and trafficking these deadly drugs," Interim Chief of Police Chris O’Brien said in a statement.
The U.S. Centers of Diseases Control and Prevention says 42,000 people died of overdoses in 2016 from opioids, a class of drug that includes powerful prescription painkillers such as OxyContin and Vicodin; illegal heroin; and fentanyl, a strong synthetic drug sold both through prescriptions and on the street.
A White House Council of Economic Advisers report last year found the national economic impact of opioid addiction at just over $500 billion a year.