Fentanyl Seized In Severna Park Drug Raid: Police

SEVERNA PARK, MD — Two Severna Park residents were arrested on drug charges Thursday, with one of the suspects accused of selling the lethal drug fentanyl. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is more potent than heroin and contact with a few grains of the powder can be fatal.

Anne Arundel County Police say that a search and seizure warrant was served in the 1100 block of Old County Road in Severna Park. Officers seized 18.2 grams of suspected fentanyl and served an arrest warrant.

Alexis Hoffman of the 1100 block of Old County Road in Severna Park was charged with possession with intent to deliver fentanyl, possession of fentanyl, and possession of CDS paraphernalia.

During the same raid, Patrick Mortka of the 10 block of Arundel Avenue was arrested on a warrant for possession of CDS paraphernalia.

Drug dealers have been using fentanyl in conjunction with or in lieu of heroin because it is cheaper.

"You can get a kilogram of fentanyl for about $3,500 compared to a kilo of heroin, which is running about $60,000," Lt. Jeffrey Kloiber of Maryland State Police said on June 6 while discussing the opioid epidemic on Comcast Newsmakers. He said fentanyl was coming from China.

The most recent fatal overdose count by state health officials shows that while prescription drug overdose deaths were down across Maryland and heroin fatalities are relatively flat in recent months, fentanyl is killing more residents than ever.

The rate of fatal drug and alcohol overdoses in the state continues at an epidemic pace — especially for users of fentanyl and the even more lethal carfentanyl — say state officials, who urged users to get into treatment before it's too late. The Maryland Department of Health in late October released data for fatal overdoses for the second quarter of 2017, and the numbers show that opioid-related overdose deaths continue to skyrocket in the state.

From January through June of 2017, there were 1,172 overdose-related deaths in the state, including 799 fentanyl-related deaths. In the first three months of the year, by comparison, there were 550 drug and alcohol overdose-related deaths statewide, including 372 fentanyl-related deaths. During the same six-month period in 2016, 969 Marylanders died from an overdose.

The investigation was led by the Heroin Task Force, which consists of officers from the Anne Arundel County Police Department, Anne Arundel County Sheriff’s Office, Baltimore Police Department, and the Annapolis Police Department.

Photos of Alexis Hoffman and Patrick Mortka courtesy of Anne Arundel County Police