Moorhead Man Arrested In Fentanyl Drug Bust
MOORHEAD, Minn. (trfnews.i234.me) — A Moorhead man has been charged with felony drug trafficking after police found him with fentanyl during an arrest. Court records show that Raphael J. Murphy of Moorhead is accused of selling and possessing a large amount of fentanyl.
According to the criminal complaint, investigators learned from a cooperating defendant that they had been buying meth from Murphy for several months. Acting on that information, officers arranged a controlled meeting with Murphy on October 14 at his residence in Moorhead.
Police were waiting nearby and arrested Murphy during the meeting. During the search that followed, officers discovered about six grams of fentanyl in Murphy’s possession. Later, while in the police interview room, authorities say they located additional fentanyl that had been hidden on him.
Murphy is now charged with felony sale of fentanyl and possession of six grams or more of fentanyl under Minnesota law. Both charges carry serious prison penalties due to the large quantity of the drug found.
Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid up to 50 times stronger than heroin, has caused a surge in overdose deaths across the United States. Law enforcement agencies in Minnesota and North Dakota continue to target traffickers as part of ongoing efforts to reduce fatal overdoses.
For more information about fentanyl dangers and prevention tips, visit the DEA’s Fentanyl Factsheet.
I’m Chris Harper reporting for TRF News.
