Hot and humid. Few storms possible. .

Off and on storms continue

Fentanyl pills seized at UPS Worldport by customs officials on Aug. 4, 2022. (Source: U.S. Customs and Border Protection)

Analysis of pills seized at UPS Worldport by customs officials on Aug. 4, 2022. (Source: U.S. Customs and Border Protection)

The large bust raises more red flags for those in the Louisville community.

The large bust raises more red flags for those in the Louisville community.

Fentanyl pills seized at UPS Worldport by customs officials on Aug. 4, 2022. (Source: U.S. Customs and Border Protection)

Analysis of pills seized at UPS Worldport by customs officials on Aug. 4, 2022. (Source: U.S. Customs and Border Protection)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Federal officials say they seized a shipment coming through Louisville with enough fentanyl pills to kill more than 50,000 people.

According to a news release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the shipment was coming through UPS Worldport at Louisville's Muhammad Ali International Airport Thursday morning. The shipment originated in India and was bound for a home in Brampton, Ontario, Canada.

The large bust raises more red flags for those in the Louisville community.

In 2018, Tiny Herron and her husband Todd, spent their days working together to serve the homeless population in Louisville.

"He got clean, and was living a life that he always would say, is happy, joyous and free," Herron said.

But it all soon changed, when her husband's new doctor prescribed a drug that caused him to relapse after five years of sobriety, and notifying his doctor of his struggle with addiction.

"Within 24 hours of receiving that medication, he relapsed," Herron said. 

Todd turned back to heroin and he took what Herron described as a "test shot," a small dose of a drug to see how his body responds.

"He passed away, I got the autopsy report, there was no heroin in his system, it was pure fentanyl."

Stories like this are not uncommon.

Kentucky's most recent drug overdose report proves fentanyl is the most deadly drug in the Commonwealth. In 2020 and 2021, fentanyl was responsible for more than 70 percent of the state's drug overdoses.

"It has overtaken heroin because it's cheaper, more readily available, and more easy to get," said Marty Purdy, vice president of addiction services for Seven Counties Services. "It's also much more deadly. That's the scary part about it."

The packaging from the seizure at UPS Worldport described contents as medicine, but when inspected, the five pill bottles inside tested positive for "fentanyl properties," according to federal officials. They say the pills had a street value of at least $15,000.

Purdy said in many cases, fentanyl is masked as another drug. In Herron's case, her husband thought it was heroin. Fentanyl is also being cut with other drugs and disguised as prescription pills. Purdy said in some recent cases students have died after taking what they thought was a prescription drug to help focus while studying.

"Overdoses are occurring all across socio economic stratus," said Purdy.

"It doesn't discriminate, you know, not by race, not by how much money you make, what neighborhood you live in," said Herron.

Herron and Purdy both stressed that communities need to break stigmas on talking about drug addiction. Families also need to warn children of the risks of fentanyl, specifically it being masked as prescription drugs.

U.S. Customs also warned of the dangers they face when dealing with the deadly drug.

"This narcotic is not only dangerous to the user, but also very dangerous to our officers," said La Fonda D. Sutton-Burke, director of field operations for U.S Customs and Border Protection's Chicago field office. "Our officers take every precaution with every shipment they inspect, and we are very relieved no one was seriously injured during this seizure."

"Even though this shipment may seem like a very small amount, remember, two milligrams of this stuff is lethal," said Thomas Mahn, port director in Louisville. "This seizure showcases the excellent work our officers do every day. This is a dangerous opioid, and our officers were able to prevent this deadly drug from reaching its destination."

Copyright 2022 by WDRB Media. All rights reserved.

Katrina Nickell joined the WDRB team as a reporter in 2022. Before coming to Louisville, Katrina spent almost two years braving the cold as a reporter in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.