Traffic Stop Results in Large Fentanyl Seizure 

October 30, 2024 – Ventura County Sheriff’s Department officials report that on October 28, 2024, a deputy assigned to the Headquarters Patrol Station conducted a traffic enforcement stop that resulted in the seizure of a kilogram of Fentanyl.

On October 28, 2024, at approximately 9:20 p.m., a deputy assigned to the Headquarters Patrol Station observed a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed in the unincorporated area of Ventura known as Saticoy.  The deputy conducted a records check of the vehicle’s license plate and discovered the registration had expired almost a year prior; however, the vehicle’s license plate displayed a 2024 registration tab.  Upon conducting a traffic enforcement stop and contacting the driver and passenger, the deputy determined the driver, Chase Kennedy, had a suspended California driver’s license and the passenger, George Myron Harrison, was unlicensed to drive.  During an inventory of the vehicle’s contents prior to it being towed from the scene, the deputy located a kilogram of Fentanyl inside the vehicle.

Kennedy was arrested for Possession for Sales of a Controlled Substance, Transportation of a Controlled Substance, Misuse of Registration Tabs, and Knowingly Driving with a Suspended Driver License.

Harrison was arrested for Possession for Sales of a Controlled Substance and Transportation of a Controlled Substance.

Kennedy was booked into the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Pre-Trial Detention Facility, where he remains in custody on $50,000.00 bail.  Harrison was released after posting a $50,000.00 bail bond.  The investigation is ongoing.

Fentanyl is a potent synthetic opioid drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use as an analgesic (pain reliever) and anesthetic.  It is approximately 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine.  Unfortunately, it is highly addictive and extremely deadly when used in illicit forms.  Chemicals involved in producing illicit Fentanyl are being mass produced overseas and imported into the United States through organized crime syndicates and cartels.  Ventura County law enforcement is regularly seizing Fentanyl in both bulk and pill form throughout the county.

VC FOCUS is a task force made up of all Ventura County regional law enforcement agencies and the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.  The primary mission of this partnership is to combat fentanyl related crimes and opioid overdoses by targeting the supply chain of individuals and criminal organizations responsible for the sales of these drugs into Ventura County.  In addition, the task force works to identify new trends of abuse among the younger population and educate the community at large on the lethal danger of this epidemic.  VC FOCUS has partnered with Ventura County Behavioral Health as an active member of the County Opioid Abuse Suppression Taskforce (COAST) in a campaign to reduce overdoses and educate the public about the dangers of opioids and other drugs.  Comprehensive information can be found at www.VenturaCountyResponds.org. The public may contact investigators from the VC FOCUS at (805) 383-8700 or VCFOCUS@ventura.org with additional information about this case, or any other information related to narcotics.  As Red Ribbon Week is upon us and October being Fentanyl awareness month, parents play an important role on educating their children, family and friends on the dangers of all drugs, including Fentanyl.

Source: Ventura County Sheriff’s Department