The Cobb Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday that it has charged a man with attempting to traffick a large amount of fentanyl and is holding him without bond.
Akira Mondragon, whose address is listed in Smyrna, was booked into the Cobb County Adult Detention Center on Tuesday on single felony counts of drug trafficking and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.
According to his booking report, he was arrested at Veterans Memorial Highway and Maxham Road, after what authorities said was a month-long investigation.
Cobb Sheriff’s Office spokesman Hassan Glenn said in a release that the fentanyl seized during Mondragon’s arrest has a street value of $1.65 million, and that more than 25 pounds of the lethal substance was found at the scene.
Glenn said that the Marietta/Cobb/Smyrna (MCS) Narcotics Unit conducted a traffic stop on vehicle that had been traveling in Cobb, and a law enforcement K-9 dog signaled the presence of narcotics inside.
Fentanyl is a highly potent synthetic opioid that “is estimated to be up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine,” the release states.
“Fentanyl is one of the most dangerous drugs our communities have ever faced. An amount comparable to a few grains of salt can be enough to take a life. By removing more than 25 pounds of fentanyl from our streets, our investigators potentially prevented countless tragedies and saved lives throughout Cobb County and beyond,” said Cobb Sheriff Craig Owens said in the release.
The Marietta/Cobb/Smyrna Narcotics Unit is a joint effort among eight law enforcement agencies and the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office, under the leadership of the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office.
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