A Montgomery County, Maryland, man is in custody after pills suspected of being fentanyl were found during a traffic stop Monday.
Authorities said Markus Carter, 20, of Silver Spring, was driving a silver Mercedes sedan along Georgia Avenue near Randolph Road in violation of his learner’s permit. There was another 20-year-old and an 18-year-old in the vehicle, according to a police statement.
Police said, during its investigation, they had probable cause to search the car, and found 250 pills suspected of being fentanyl in the vehicle. Additionally, they found more pills on Carter’s person, more than $1,100 in cash, and a loaded .45 caliber gun.
Police later received a search warrant for Carter’s home and found an additional 1,800 suspected fentanyl pills, along with more cash and other drugs.
Carter was arrested and charged with multiple offenses such as illegal possession of a firearm, and possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute.
The other two individuals who were in the car at the initial traffic stop with him were released without charges.
According to police, over 20 residents have died of drug overdoses already this year, compared to the over 80 who died in 2022 of the same cause.
“The Drug Enforcement Administration frequently warns ‘one pill can kill,'” police Chief Marcus Jones said in the statement. “We never will be able to truly quantify the number of lives that were saved as a direct result of this traffic stop, but without question, this stop saved lives in our community.”
