A Florida man was arrested carrying enough narcotic fentanyl to kill half a million people, according to the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators searched the Brooksville home of David Gayle, 43, and discovered the man was selling narcotics after they found more than two pounds of the synthetic drug fentanyl and methamphetamine.
Small amounts of cocaine, oxycodone and marijuana were also found within the home.
The man was arrested on multiple drug possession charges as well as two charges relating to him selling heroin within 1000 feet from a church.
The amount of fentanyl found in Gayle’s home was enough to kill 500,000 people, according to a press release.
“Anyone who believes that illegal drug trafficking is a victimless crime does not understand the killing power in the roughly two pounds of drugs seized during this particular investigation,” Sheriff Al Nienhuis said in the press release.
“We can never measure what we prevent, but it is a very good bet that this quantity of fentanyl would have resulted in a number of overdose deaths right here in Hernando County,” he added.
Other charges Gayle faces include manufacturing drugs with a child present and trafficking fentanyl and methamphetamine.
Gayle already has an extensive criminal history, including possession of cocaine. He was being held in Hernando County jail on a $215,000 bond and could face life in prison if convicted.
