A major drug bust in Jennings, Louisiana, led to the arrest of Robert Martin, 60, following a string of drug overdoses between January 2 and 7. During this period, Jennings police received reports of nine suspected overdoses, believed to involve heroin or fentanyl. Tragically, one man in his 30s lost his life due to the suspected overdose.
Jennings Police Chief Danny Semmes reported that multiple individuals overdosed simultaneously in several of these incidents, which is rare. The police traced the source of the drugs to Martin, leading them to his residence on South Main Street. A search of Martin’s home resulted in one of the largest fentanyl seizures in the department’s history.
Officers recovered a significant amount of narcotics, totaling 11 pounds, which included marijuana, methamphetamine, powder cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl. Among the seized items was a bag containing 16 ounces of pure fentanyl, with a street value of $325,000, capable of killing over 400,000 people. They also found $20,026 in cash, drug containers, and a gas mask used to protect Martin while processing the fentanyl. In addition, pre-loaded syringes ready for sale were discovered.
The total street value of the seized drugs was estimated to be around $800,000. While investigators cannot definitively link Martin to the overdoses, they did find blue fentanyl at his residence, matching the fentanyl found at one of the overdose scenes. This reinforces the suspicion that Martin was involved in distributing the drugs responsible for the overdoses.
Martin is currently being held in jail with a $1 million bond. Local resources like Southwest Louisiana Do No Harm provide free Narcan, and Ochsner Health’s Bridge Program offers assistance to individuals seeking help with substance abuse.
The investigation highlights the extreme dangers of fentanyl and heroin, with law enforcement stressing the lethal nature of these drugs.