Lafayette Police Seize Nearly $70K Worth of Fentanyl in Major Drug Bust

LAFAYETTE, La. – A major drug bust in Lafayette has taken a significant amount of fentanyl off the streets after detectives with the Lafayette Police Narcotics Division executed a search warrant on Monday afternoon.

According to authorities, officers raided an apartment at 1512 Louisiana Avenue as part of an ongoing narcotics investigation. During the operation, they arrested 37-year-old Tanakous Onezine of Lafayette, who was already wanted on an active warrant for the distribution of MDMA.

A search of the apartment uncovered a massive stash of fentanyl—856 pressed pills that tested positive for the deadly drug, weighing approximately 170 grams. Police estimate the street value of the seized fentanyl at $68,000. Officers also recovered a 9mm handgun with a loaded magazine and $2,590 in cash.

Onezine was transported and booked into the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center.

Police say this bust is a major disruption to the distribution of fentanyl in Lafayette, a drug that has been at the center of a nationwide opioid crisis. Just a small amount of fentanyl can be lethal, and law enforcement continues to warn about its presence in counterfeit pills disguised as prescription medication.

The Lafayette Police Narcotics Division has reiterated its commitment to aggressively pursuing drug traffickers and keeping dangerous substances out of the community and this is the latest example.