Fentanyl suspected in items found in a Summerville store’s ice cream freezer | News

Police in Summerville were called by a vendor who was hired to clean out an ice cream freezers at a local businesses.

During a biannual cleaning at the Circle K at 527 N. Main St., the worker found some suspicious items that caused some concern that the packages may contain drugs. What’s more, the vendor told police he thought this because it is not the first time it has happened, according to a police report.

On the June 14 call, the officer was told he was heading to the business in reference to drugs found in an ice cream freezer in the back of the store. The officer said that after arriving police noticed at least seven pieces of foil folded into squares at the bottom of the freezer.

What makes the call more bizarre is, the incident report states that the vendor told the officer during jobs, he finds drugs at the bottom of freezers all the time, saying “it is common.”

Most of the time, the vendor told police, there are notes folded into the square pieces, but in this case there were no notes, so he wanted the officer to check the items out as a safety precaution.

The officer believed at that point the items, “could possibly have traces of fentanyl,” the incident report stated.

The responding officer said he used gloves to pick up the items and immediately placed them into an evidence bag.

The officer said he slowly opened one square, while holding it away from his face and observed a “dirty white square of an unknown substance,” and it was unclear what the substance contained.

Police said the item was placed into evidence with a “fentanyl sticker.”

Because of the potency of the drug officers can’t field test to find out if a substance is fentanyl.

Police said the drug is so powerful if it is ingested or inhaled it could be fatal.

Fentanyl has to be sent off to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) for testing which could take several months.

“We try to turn around reports as quickly as we can and certainly if they’re involved in some type of violent crime or if there is a priority request by the submitting agency we always take that into account,” said Thom Berry, SLED’s spokesperson. “We will work as quickly as we can, of course having to take the normal safe guards and precautions to make sure the testing is done correctly and accurately.”

Berry did confirm that the agency is seeing more fentanyl come into the agency to be tested.

“This is a drug we are seeing more of and we’re not unique in that situation,” Berry said. I think if you talk to any state forensic laboratory or federal laboratories they are seeing more of this.”

Detective Chris Hirsch, from the Summerville Police Department said at this time “The items are only suspected as being fentanyl.” But the drug is everywhere and this recent incident is odd and it will be investigated, if test results confirm the substance as fentanyl.

The manager at the Circle K said they could not comment in detail; only saying the items were taken out and the situation is being investigated.

An attempt to contact the vendor was made but at this time, he has not reached out.