Felony charges are expected to be filed Wednesday against a 42-year-old man suspected of selling large quantities of fentanyl and methamphetamine out of his Perris home.
Miguel Angel Lopez was arrested Friday on suspicion of possession of drugs for sale, transportation of controlled substances, possession of unlawful paraphernalia, possession of a baton and metal knuckles and child endangerment.
Lopez is being held in lieu of $350,000 bail at the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta.
The case is under review by the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office.
According to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, Lopez came under investigation recently after deputies were informed of possible drug trafficking at his home in the 1000 block of Ruby Drive, near Mildred Street.
Sheriff’s Sgt. Kamal Kabbara said Special Enforcement Bureau investigators served a search warrant at the property early Friday afternoon.
“They located and seized hundreds of multi-colored fentanyl pills, fentanyl powder, methamphetamine, and thousands of dollars in cash,” Kabbara said. “Additionally, deputies seized ballistic panels, ammunition and a collapsible baton. At the residence, deputies discovered a 12-year-old child alone in the vicinity of the narcotics.”
The youth was placed in the care of county Child Protective Services staff.
Lopez was taken into custody without incident. Background information on him was unavailable.
Preliminary data released by the county Department of Public Health showed there were 388 confirmed fentanyl-related fatalities countywide in 2023, a 23% decline from 2022, when there were 503.
Fentanyl is manufactured in overseas labs, principally in China, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, which says the synthetic opioid is smuggled across the U.S.-Mexico border by cartels.
The drug is 80-100 times more potent than morphine and can be mixed into any number of street narcotics and prescription drugs, without a user knowing what he or she is consuming. Ingestion of only two milligrams can be fatal.
Fentanyl is the leading cause of death for Americans between 18 and 45 years old.