An Alabama man was apprehended with Easter eggs that had approximately 200 fentanyl tablets concealed inside of them, rather than being loaded with chocolate candy,
According to the Colbert County Sheriff’s Office, Jamarious Dequan Qualls (29) was taken into custody at about noon on Monday, April 1st. The arrest occurred during a traffic check near Tuscumbia, 115 miles north of Birmingham.
According to the sheriff’s office, Qualls gave his permission for drug agents to search his vehicle. Qualls was previously detained in a separate city on a warrant for a minor offense.
Inside his vehicle, investigators found Easter eggs made of plastic that were orange and gold in color. A plastic bag containing one ounce of synthetic cannabis called “spice” was found inside the eggs, including 176 fentanyl capsules.
The FDA has authorized the use of fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, as a pain reliever and as anesthesia. As an analgesic, it’s around 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. When compared to heroin and morphine, its analgesic effects are almost 100 times stronger.
Cold skin, stupor, coma, cyanosis, dilated pupils, and respiratory failure resulting in death may be caused by an overdose of fentanyl.
According to Qualls’ online booking record, he is charged with drug trafficking and possession with the intention to sell a controlled narcotic. He is from adjacent Franklin County.
According to authorities from Colbert County, he is now being detained on a bail of $150,000.
As of April 3, the clerk’s office of the Colbert County Circuit Court verified the accusations relating to fentanyl trafficking, but they said that no court date had been recorded in their system.
The clerk’s office shows that Daryl Moon represents Qualls in a distinct drug case from 2023, but he is not listed as a lawyer in the case involving the drug-filled Easter eggs.
The clerk’s office states that the earlier charges would have been dropped if Qualls had paid the court and prosecutor fees within two years.
