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ST. LANDRY PARISH, La. (KLFY) — A man was arrested in St. Landry Parish on several drug and firearm charges after an undercover investigation by the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office (SLPSO) Narcotics Enforcement Team.

Joshua Joseph, 37, of Opelousas was arrested on the following charges:

  • Possession with Intent to Distribute Schedule II CDS
  • Possession with Intent to Distribute Schedule I CDS
  • 2 counts – Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon
  • 2 counts – Illegal Carrying of a Firearm in the Presence of a CDS
  • Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
  • Illegal Possession of a Stolen Firearm

After what the SLPSO calls extensive hours of surveillance and undercover buys of heroin and fentanyl, the Narcotics Enforcement Team and St. Landry Parish S.W.A.T. Team carried out a search warrant on a house in the 300 block of South Oak St. in the Opelousas area.

They seized approximately five ounces of suspected heroin and fentanyl, two handguns, and drug paraphernalia used to package and weigh the illegal narcotics to conduct the sales at a later time.   

Joseph was arrested and booked into the St. Landry Parish Jail.

The Narcotics Enforcement Team carried out a search warrant on the same address in 2020 and Joseph was the target of the investigation then as well, according to Sheriff Bobby Guidroz.

Guidroz would like to remind the public of how dangerous the effects of fentanyl are.

  • Fentanyl is 50 times stronger than heroin and 80-100 times stronger than morphine.
  • 2 milligrams can be a deadly dose to a person
  • 1 gram is equal to 1000 milligrams and can cause death to 500 people
  • 55.6 % of drug overdoses are primarily due to fentanyl

The approximate amount of fentanyl Joseph had in his possession was enough to kill approximately 70,000 people, according to Guidroz.