ORANGE PARK, Fla. – An undercover investigation led to a man's arrest and the discovery of the dangerous drug fentanyl, which was being passed off as heroin, the Clay County Sheriff's Office said.
Richard Reed, 27, is facing multiple drug charges, including the sale of fentanyl.
Clay County law enforcement officials told News4Jax they're going hard after drug dealers, especially ones who are selling lethal narcotics. In this case, deputies said, the dealer was trying to sell fentanyl as heroin.
Detectives said they used a confidential informant to help them capture Reed, a suspected heroin dealer, at the Autumn Cove apartment complex in Orange Park.
Several weeks ago, the informant purchased three baggies of drugs from Reed before returning to the parking lot to hand over the drugs to waiting detectives, according to the arrest report.
Deputies said some of the drugs tested positive for fentanyl, and the rest were heroin.
On Wednesday night, deputies said, they went to Reed's apartment with a search warrant, and seized amounts of heroin, cocaine and marijuana.
A neighbor, who wished to remain anonymous, told News4Jax what he saw and heard.
"I was sitting in my living room and I heard, 'Get on the ground. Get on the gound. Don't move,'" the neighbor said. "There were police everywhere -- a guy with a riot shield, door buster, machine guns. There was a heavy-duty truck outside."
Another neighbor, who did not wish to be identified, reacted to his neighbor's arrest.
"It's pretty disappointing because that particular drug can be airborne and can kill you," the second neighbor said.
According to Duval County court records, in 2012, Reed was convicted on multiple drug charges. He now remains in the Clay County Jail on $261,000 bond.
Reed's arrest comes nearly two months after three men were arrested in the death of a Clay County woman who overdosed on fentanyl she purchased from a dealer.