Overdose Rescue Leads To Much More
TRAVELERS REST - The quick lifesaving response of a Greenville County Sheriff’s Deputy along with the Greenville Fire and Emergency Services led to not only the survival of a drug overdose victim but also to a large stash of firearms and narcotics.
Greenville County deputies and EMS responded to an emergency call for assistance at a residence located at 12 Pine Hill Drive, Travelers Rest on Monday, March 23rd. Upon arrival to the location, deputies found an unresponsive victim undergoing CPR. Deputies immediately took over the CPR until arriving EMS personnel came on scene.
EMS responders identified the victim in distress through an apparent drug overdose. EMS personnel immediately administered Narcan (NARCAN is naloxone which is used in the treatment of suspected drug overdoses.) resulting in saving the victim’s life.
Based on the observations of the responding deputies observing narcotics and narcotic paraphernalia, a search warrant was obtained for the location to search for drugs. Deputies requested support from the Greenville County Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Enforcement Unit (GCMDEU) who responded.
Greenville County Sheriff Hobart Lewis said, "Our deputies and emergency first responders never know what they may encounter when arriving to a call for assistance. It was the quick thinking of the deputies and emergency responders who saved this person’s life. The event illustrates the dangers drugs continue to bring to our community. Not only did this individual risk their own lives but the lives of the responding deputies and EMS personnel.”
During the search of the residence, law enforcement officers uncovered a makeshift homemade narcotics press being used to impregnate paper items with drugs. The use of the homemade press and the individual’s layman’s knowledge of creating narcotic mixtures is believed to be the direct result of the overdose. Commander Bart McEntire, GCMDEU stated “the DEU has now responded in the first part of 2020 to four locations where these “garage chemists” concoct mixtures of tablets and drug combinations. The dangers posed by these so-called experts are uncalled for and place everyone in danger –themselves, first-responders, users, and the public.”
Sheriff Lewis also stated “in addition to the homemade drug press, law enforcement officers found one pound of fentanyl, ounces of methamphetamine, a mixture of liquefied methamphetamine, and 100 firearms. Drugs in combination with firearms bring nothing but pain, misery, and many occasions death. Lucky for this drug dealer, first-responders saved his life and removed the products of suffering.” Sheriff Hobart commended the actions of his deputies, DEU, and EMS. "I am incredibly proud to lead a law enforcement agency that not only saves lives, but continues to remove narcotics and firearms from our communities. By working together with the DEU, we are removing illegal drugs, saving lives and improving our communities.
Commander McEntire commented “many different types of illegal drugs are created in these “garage chemists” labs. The individuals behind these types of operations most often have little knowledge regarding the proper way to handle, process, and utilize chemicals, binding agents, and the chemical process needed to create these drugs. The result is tablets, pills, or in this case liquefied drugs, that creep into our communities under various street trade names. Users have no idea what they are purchasing; have no idea to the purity levels of the drugs, and are unfortunately playing Russian roulette by buying these products. The weapon is a drug instead of a firearm. The seller provides the weapon and the user never even knows how lethal the discharge may be.”
Arrested at the location and charged with Trafficking, Distribution of methamphetamine, Possession of Stolen Firearms, and Possession of Firearms during a Violent Crime was Larry Ray Fagan.