Police arrested two people after finding 21 kilograms of the highly-toxic drug carfentanil – enough to kill 50 million people – inside a Southern California home.
The synthetic opioid, which is 100-times more potent than fentanyl, is typically used to sedate elephants and other large mammals.
Andres Jesus Morales, 20, and 23-year-old Christine Ponce were charged with four felonies for possession for sales of fentanyl, cocaine, and heroin. Both pleaded guilty during an arraignment yesterday and were held without bail. They're due to appear in court again November 9.
Carfentanil is so powerful that it's fatal at a nanogram level; veterinarians wear protective gear while handling it to avoid exposure.
The amount seized would be enough to kill 50 million people if it was mixed with other drugs, police said.
Cops in Riverside County, California said they made the discovery while executing a search warrant at a Perris home. They also seized 4kg of cocaine and 1kg of heroin.
Christine Ponce (left) and Andres Jesus Morales (right) were charged after police in Riverside County, California, discovered 21 kilograms of carfentanil - enough to kill 50 million people
This illustration shows the fatal doses of heroin, fentanyl, and carfentanil. Police in Canada created the visual to demonstrate the miniscule amount of carfentanil needed to kill a person
It is believed to be the largest carfentanil seizure in Riverside County history.
They arrested two people during a September 14 raid of a second Perris home, where another 16kg of cocaine was stashed.
Riverside County Officer Ryan J. Railsback said dealers sometimes lace drugs such as heroin or cocaine with synthetic opioids to give users a stronger buzz.
When the dealers get the measurements just right, he said, they're likely to have a satisfied - and repeat - customer.
'It would be bad business if they're trying to kill off all your clients, but they aren't trying to kill off all their clients, they're trying to bring them back,' Railsback told Dailymail.com.
Riverside County police discovered the stash inside a Glimmer Way home in Perris, California
A police spokesman says officers saved lives by pulling this stash of carfentanil off the streets
But it can be a delicate measuring act, and a miscalculation can cost users their life.
Those using illegal drugs are going beyond playing with fire, he added.
'The amount of fentanyl you need to kill you is so small that they are literally playing the surface of the sun when it comes to the amount,' Railsback said.
He said the officers that made the bust likely saved lives in doing so.
'They're keeping people from dying,' he said. 'Our detectives do feel like they're making a dent, especially when you're dealing with fentanyl or a derivative of fentanyl, every little bit you get off the street, that is one less overdose.
'That is one less death really,' he said. 'There are so many people that are overdosing and eventually dying over there use of fentanyl. It's unreal.'
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