ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. — A 52-year-old Port St. Lucie man is facing charges of trafficking fentanyl and the stimulant MDPV, the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office said.
John Lester Cowart was arrested after a traffic stop on Okeechobee Road in Fort Pierce.
Deputies say Cowart, the driver, had 31 grams of fentanyl and 58 grams of methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) in his possession.
He was taken to the St. Lucie County Jail in Fort Pierce and held in lieu of $70,250 bond. He is facing charges of drug trafficking in fentanyl (4 grams or more), phenethylamines (10 grams or more) as well as a citation of driving with a suspended license.
"With recent seizures of fentanyl, 31 grams of fentanyl does not seem like much; however, 31 grams of fentanyl is 31,000 milligrams and dependent on body size and tolerance to the drug, only 2 milligrams of fentanyl can be lethal," Sheriff Ken Mascara said in a Facebook post Friday "This seizure prevented up to 15,500 deaths in our community. We remain steadfast in pursuing the dealers who are dealing death to our loved ones and community."
Earlier this month, the sheriff's office announced the arrests of seven people in connection with a "large-scale" drug bust, which they believe is the largest in their four-county area.
It included 2.75 pounds of fentanyl, the equivalent of 600,000 lethal doses, with an estimated street value of more than $350,000, 11.25 pounds of cocaine ad 10 pound of "magic mushrooms" with a street value of about $300,000
"The amount of fentanyl seized during this investigation could have killed every person in St. Lucie County, Martin County and Indian River County," Mascara said.
Police in Port St. Lucie announced earlier in the day that 10,000 fentanyl pills were confiscated in a separate bust, which they called the largest seizure in the city's history.
He was arrested at around 12:20 p.m. for trafficking fentanyl and MDPV, and driving on a suspended license.
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He was booked into the St. Lucie County Jail at 4:10 p.m. His total bond amount is $70,250.