October 18, 2023 - Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office officials report that on October 15, 2023, Deputies were dispatched to a residential address near the area of Ponderosa Basin for possible vandalism and trespassing in progress. An observant community member’s quick reporting to the Sheriff’s Office when they noticed something was not right, led to the arrest of Daniel Brown (37) and Dusty Jewell (32), both of Merced. Deputies arrived on scene while the pair were actively burglarizing the residence.

Along with the stolen property deputies located 14.7 grams of fentanyl, 9 grams of meth, multiple syringes loaded with controlled substances, psilocybin mushrooms, multiple items of drug paraphernalia, and burglary tools inside their vehicle. Both subjects were arrested and booked into the Mariposa County Adult Detention Facility on multiple charges.

According to a 2022 press release from the Drug Enforcement Administration, only 2 milligrams of fentanyl may be considered a deadly dose. Based upon the DEA’s data, Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office Deputies seized approximately 7,350 potentially deadly doses of fentanyl in yesterday’s seizure.

“Neighbors watching over neighbors, community members watching over communities! It’s the help of our amazing community and residents who are always aware of what’s happening around them that helped us get these two gremlins off our streets and into our jail! Great job all around!” - Sheriff Jeremy Briese

You may find the DEA’s press release here: https://www.dea.gov/.../drug-enforcement-administration...

Source & photos: Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office