Drug bust was ‘one of the largest seizures’ in NC, sheriff said. But it wasn’t drugs

Nearly 13 pounds of a white powder seized in July in what officials considered one of North Carolina’s largest fentanyl busts was nothing more than flour, according to one of the suspects.

“If you can’t tell flour from a drug something ain’t right,” the suspect, Charles Batts, told television station WWAY in July.

But additional lab testing has revealed the substance wasn’t flour, either, WECT reported Tuesday. New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Jerry Brewer said the substance was sugar, the report said.

Batts, William McIntire and Wanda Moore were arrested on drug charges after the July 11 raid in which officials thought they had discovered more than $2 million worth of fentanyl, local news agencies including The Star-News reported.

“As far as we can tell, this is one of the largest seizures in the state,” New Hanover County Sheriff Ed McMahon said in a press conference at the time, according to The Star-News.

The following week, WECT reported that state lab tests showed the substance was not fentanyl, and that the suspects – who faced other drug charges – had their bonds reduced from millions to thousands of dollars.

A news release said multiple field tests initially performed by the sheriff’s office falsely identified the substance as fentanyl, according to WWAY.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse describes fentanyl as “a powerful synthetic opioid analgesic that is similar to morphine but is 50 to 100 times more potent.”

“Fentanyl sold on the street can be mixed with heroin or cocaine, which markedly amplifies its potency and potential dangers,” the institute says.

This story was originally published August 29, 2018 at 1:42 PM.