LaGRANGE, Ga. (WRBL) – There have been seven overdose deaths in Troup County since the start of 2021. Many of those overdoses have been caused by Fentanyl, a powerful opioid that is used to treat severe pain, but can be fatal if taken in large doses. An arrest made over the weekend by the LaGrange Police Department is linked to Fentanyl.

Dale Strickland, the Captain of the Criminal Investigations Section for the LaGrange PD, said Japolo Laye was arrested on Oct. 30, 2021 for the possession of multiple drugs. Officials believe many of the drugs were in his possession for intent to resell.

“In this case, the investigators with the Special Investigations Unit here at the police department were able to gain information that this individual was selling these pills and they were able to obtain through the investigation evidence that supported the search warrant. When they served the search warrant on the individual, they located the pills that we are discussing and other pills as well,” said Strickland.

Laye was originally pulled over for a traffic stop and at the time of the stop he was served with search warrants for his person, car and home. Upon conducting the search, police found Laye in possession of at least 300 Percocet tablets that were laced with Fentanyl, seven ounces of packaged marijuana, delta 8 THC marijuana edibles, a stolen firearm and about thirty 10 mg Oxycodone tablets.

As a result of the search, Laye has been charged with Trafficking Fentanyl, Possession of Marijuana with the Intent to Distribute, Possession of a Schedule II Narcotic with the Intent to Distribute, Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, and Theft by Receiving Stolen Property.

If convicted, Laye could be facing at least 10 years in prison just for the first offense, Trafficking Fentanyl.

Strickland said counterfeit Percocet pills are the pills he is seeing most often laced with Fentanyl in LaGrange.