A Sewanee Elementary School resource officer busted a truck driver who was delivering produce to the school with the illegal narcotic fentanyl and a loaded firearm last week, according to authorities.
While welcoming students into the building, resource officer Josh Alexander smelled a marijuana odor coming from the delivery truck, which drove past him, said the Franklin County Sheriff's Office.
Authorities say Alexander spoke to the driver, who confirmed illegal narcotics were in the truck.
Alexander searched the vehicle, recovering 7.6 ounces of fentanyl, 9 ounces of marijuana, a loaded 9 mm handgun and $4,463 in cash, according to the sheriff's office.
The driver, identified as Christopher James Duncan, now faces multiple drug charges, including violating a drug-free zone, as well as unlawful possession of a weapon.
Investigators believe Duncan made two other produce deliveries that morning at Cowan Elementary and Huntland School.
Duncan is now being held on a $250,000 bond.
Fentanyl is 50-100 times stronger than morphine. Many users aren't even aware they are purchasing or using fentanyl. The drug has killed thousands yearly, especially in California, Colorado and New York. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fentanyl is now the top cause of death among U.S. adults between the ages of 18 and 45.
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