Detroit Free Press

Detroit fentanyl stash house seizure is the largest for Michigan law enforcemen­t

- Christina Hall executed

Federal authoritie­s say they recently snagged the biggest seizure of fentanyl to date in Michigan, enough to provide “nearly two deadly doses” to everyone living in the state.

This week, a Macomb County man, who owns a gas station in Detroit, was indicted in the case, in which authoritie­s say they found the fentanyl in a basement stash house in Detroit, along with pill presses.

Barry Willis, 55, of Clinton Township, was indicted in U.S. District Court on possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm in furtheranc­e of a drug-traffickin­g crime and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison if convicted, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

It alleges his stash house had more than 40 kilograms of fentanyl.

“This case represents the largest law enforcemen­t seizure of fentanyl in the state of

Michigan to date,” U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison said in the release. “We are incredibly proud of our law enforcemen­t partners who conducted this investigat­ion and recovered these deadly substances before they could harm members of our community.”

The U.S. Drug Enforcemen­t Administra­tion says 2 milligrams of fentanyl, just enough to fit on the tip of a pencil, is considered a potentiall­y lethal dose.

What authoritie­s seized at the gas station and stash house

Orville Greene, special agent in charge of the DEA’s Detroit division, added: “This amount of fentanyl has the potential to provide nearly two deadly doses to every man, woman and child living in the state of Michigan.”

Steven Scharg, Willis’ attorney, said Thursday he just got the case and is awaiting discovery.

Law enforcemen­t authoritie­s

search warrants March 28 at Willis’ residence, the gas station — a Citgo on Livernois near Davison — and the stash house on Littlefiel­d in Detroit.

They found 41 kilograms of fentanyl in pill and powder form; more than 2.6 kilograms of cocaine; a large pill press; a small pill press; a narcotics press; a handgun; narcotics packaging materials; narcotics scales, and $18,000 in the stash house, according to a criminal complaint filed March 30 in federal court. Within the cash, it states, was $400 of prerecorde­d buy funds.

Authoritie­s took Willis into custody at his residence, where they seized more than $133,000, 10 watches, one gold chain with a platinum pendant and a handgun, according to the complaint. At the gas station, it stated, they found more than $3,000 and a handgun.

The undercover drug buys

The investigat­ion began in September when a Livonia police officer received informatio­n from a cooperatin­g individual about Willis, known as “Blue,” who was alleged to be involved in the sale and distributi­on of heroin, according to the complaint.

The cooperatin­g individual bought suspected heroin from Willis in February and March as police watched the controlled purchases. Field tests were positive for the presence of fentanyl in both buys, according to the complaint. The search warrants followed in March.

Livonia Police said in an April 2 news release on the department’s Facebook page that the estimated street value of the seizure was $4.5 million and the case represents “the largest single seizure of fentanyl in Michigan and one of the largest in the country.”

The indictment states Willis has a prior conviction for a felony drug offense, for which he was imprisoned for more than a year. He is being detained pending trial, according to court records.

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