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Seattle man suspected of importing fentanyl from China through mail

By Amy Clancy
By Amy Clancy
Synthetic fentanyl is blamed for the death of pop-star Prince.
It also killed 70 people in Washington state in 2016.

This week, KIRO 7 learned 24 packages of fentanyl was allegedly mailed to a man who lives on Des Moines Memorial Drive South in Seattle.

On Monday, Gregory Lynn Smith was charged in US District Court with importing fentanyl from Asia.

According to documents, the 33-year-old was arrested Sunday at Sea-Tac Airport by investigators with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service as he returned from a trip to Hawaii.

While being questioned, Smith reportedly admitted "that he had been importing fentanyl from China via USPS for the last six months" according to a federal complaint.

Documents reveal that agents traced 24 parcels to Smith's home and two post office boxes -- all believed to have contained the drug.
However, only four of those packages were intercepted by agents.
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Caleb Banta-Green, principal research scientist at the University of Washington's Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute, told KIRO 7 "these fentanyl-type products that are generally made in China, that are often sold in powder form. There may be more of an internet marketplace for those. 

According to Banta-Green, fentanyl can be 50-times stronger than heroin and is often sold in its powder form -- or used to make fake tablets. He said it's a dangerous situation.

“Now you have a drug that’s being sold on the street,” he said. “You don’t know what drug it is. You have no idea how strong it is and you don’t know what effect it will have on you because every one is different.” 
Follow this link for addiction help.
Here’s additional information on how to help someone suffering from addiction.

Cox Media Group

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