A New York City man caught with tens of thousands of “rainbow” fentanyl pills was reportedly released from custody without bail.
Manuel Pagan, 49, was arrested last week in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood in possession of “approximately 20,000 multi-colored M-30 fentanyl pills,” according to the New York Post. He was charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the first degree and freed without bail; police sources told the Post.
A New York City’s Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor representative told the Post it had requested that Pagan be held on $100,000 cash bail or $250,000 bond. Reportedly, Manhattan Judge James Clyne ordered “supervised release” for Pagan without bail.
“He [Pagan] is allowed to roam the streets while meeting certain conditions, which can include required check-ins,” the Post explained.
Last month, police officers in Oregon seized 18 pounds of fentanyl, enough to reportedly kill four million people, in a car when they found the driver passed out on the side of the road, which Townhall covered.
Shortly before that, federal agents and New York City police officers arrested a New Jersey woman after discovering fentanyl packaged like candy and stored in LEGO boxes in her vehicle. The car allegedly contained 15,000 “multicolored” pills and had an estimated street value of $300,000, according to WPVI.
In September, a middle school student in California was arrested after bringing fentanyl pills to school and causing a campus supervisor to overdose. According to the Bakersfield Police Department, the Chipman Junior High student had about 150 fentanyl pills disguised as Percocet.
A police officer who arrived on the scene administered Narcan to the staff member, who was transported to a nearby hospital.
That same month, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) announced that it would make Narcan available at all its campuses. Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said the school district is experiencing a “devastating epidemic” of drug overdoses; some believed to be related to fentanyl.
In addition, the district unveiled a task force to work with school police officers and local law enforcement to heighten supervision in areas, such as parks, where students are believed to be obtaining drugs.