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UTAH COUNTY, Utah, Oct. 19, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — Law enforcement officers are searching for a Utah County man after detectives served a search warrant on his residence and found fentanyl pills and other drugs and paraphernalia.
Kevin Lynn Larson, 49, also has several other active drug cases pending sentencing in court, said a news release from Utah County Sheriff’s Office.
On Monday, narcotics detectives with the Utah County Sheriff’s Office and Spanish Fork Police Department served a search warrant on a home in South Geneva Road near Orem, the news release said.
“They have been investigating Kevin Lynn Larson, who lives there, for nearly a year,” the news release said. “During that time they developed four different cases on Larson related to drug distribution. They have found that each time they arrest Larson he bails out of jail and immediately returns to dealing drugs. Primarily Larson has been arrested for charges related to distribution of methamphetamine. Recently, however, they developed information that led them to believe Larson was now involved in the distribution of fentanyl.”
In previous involvements with Larson he has run from law enforcement on foot, the news release said. He has also fled at least twice in a motor vehicle. Knowing this, detectives were assisted in serving this warrant by the Utah County Metro SWAT Team. “Also, believing they would find fentanyl during this search, detectives and SWAT members took extra precautions to protect themselves in case of an accidental exposure to any fentanyl they might find,” the news release said. “Larson was not home when the warrant was served, but they believe he knew detectives were there.”
There was one man in the home who was living there in exchange for work, but detectives believe he was not at all involved in Larson’s drug distribution activities.
During the search detectives found 56 counterfeit fentanyl pills, homemade to look like 30 mg Oxycodone Hydrochloride pills, 17 grams of methamphetamine, 1 gram of heroin and multiple items of drug paraphernalia.
“The fentanyl pills that were found were designed as single dosages for each pill,” the news release said “These pills are homemade using pill presses. To make these pills, drug dealers use some kind of neutral binding agent and add fentanyl to that. Once mixed they put the mixture into the press to manufacture the pills. The pill of choice they copy to manufacture these fentanyl pills are commercially prescribed 30 mg Oxycodone Hydrochloride. Oxycodone is a very strong opioid narcotic pain medication.”
Many of these counterfeit pills look very much like actual Oxycodone pills, the news release said. “One of the problems with these pills, besides the fact they are illegal, is that back room drug dealer manufacturing operations do not have the ability, nor do they take the time, to insure that the amount of fentanyl in each pill is exactly the same and is not a lethal amount,” the news release said. “Even one of these pills with a ‘proper’ amount of fentanyl can be fatal. But with widely varying amounts of fentanyl in them, these pills are often deadly.”
Larson will be charged with three felony counts of drug distribution for the fentanyl, methamphetamine, and heroin, and a misdemeanor charge of possession of drug paraphernalia.
Officials also shared photos of actual Oxycodone Hydrochloride pills along with photos of the counterfeit homemade pills manufactured with a pill press. “The pills look strikingly similar,” the news release said. “Both can be deadly, but fentanyl is even more deadly.”
