Leo J. Moore, 38, of Norwich, was arrested and charged with twelve felonies and four misdemeanors following a drug investigation. (Photo from NPD)

NORWICH - The City of Norwich Police Department announced a major drug discovery on Thursday following a narcotic investigation where detectives seized approximately 32,000 lethal doses of fentanyl.

“We have overdoses every single day in this community. We respond to 5 or 7 a week, at least. The Norwich EMS, Norwich Fire, the PD, the Sheriff, the Troopers — almost every day we have to use Narcan,” said Norwich Police Chief Reuben Roach.

According to the National Drug Enforcement Agencies, two milligrams of fentanyl can be lethal depending on a person’s body size, tolerance and past usage.

“On Wednesday morning, detectives from the Norwich Police Department successfully concluded a drug investigation, resulting in the seizure of 64 grams of fentanyl, an amount capable of causing tens of thousands of fatal overdoses,” said Roach.

“Fentanyl has devastated communities across the nation, and I am proud to announce that our detectives have removed a significant quantity of this dangerous drug from our streets today,” he said.

Roach said information gathered during the investigation indicated the source of the drugs was likely from the border and involved organized crime. He said drug dealers often laced fentanyl into other drugs such as opiates, and even into legal products like vapes.

“We suspect the border. It is not being locally made. It is not easily made,” said the police chief.

Leo J. Moore, 38, of Norwich, was arrested and charged with twelve felonies and four misdemeanors following the execution of an arrest warrant. The most serious charge is 2nd degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, an A-II felony.

Detectives reported the arrest closed an extensive investigation into the distribution of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine throughout the community. During the operation, Moore was allegedly found in possession not only of a substantial amount of fentanyl but also methamphetamine, cocaine, and a stun gun, said Roach.

Moore was arraigned in Norwich City Court and is currently held without bail.

Police adopt special procedures when handling drug seizures since even the smallest amount of fentanyl can cause death or harm. In 2023, a City of Norwich Police Officer conducting a test of suspected powered drugs accidentally inhaled dust from the air, causing them to collapse.

“This officer was wearing protective latex gloves and using the approved protocols to test the seized drugs. While conducting the chemical test, the fentanyl substance became airborne, and the officer had to be Narcaned after becoming unresponsive and falling to the floor,” said Roach at the time in 2023.

Fellow officers administered Narcan and rushed the victim to UHS Chenango Memorial Hospital Emergency Room. The officer was treated at the emergency room for several hours and eventually released to family members. “This situation could have ended very differently and we’re lucky to have had Narcan on hand, and an emergency room staffed with highly trained professionals so close,” said Roach at the time.

A number of fatal overdoses have occurred in the county in recent years and they have not led to the drug dealers being prosecuted for deaths directly.

On April 4, 2023, City of Norwich residents suffered suspected heroin overdoses laced with Fentanyl, with two people dying at the scenes and four others being rushed to local emergency rooms in critical condition.

An investigation reported a load of heroin came from Syracuse heavily tainted with fentanyl at this time.

The victim's were between 20 and early 50s years of age and had a mixed employment background. All were permanent Norwich residents with local family also living with them or residing in the area.

At the time in 2023, a police investigator said, “The Fentanyl is being laced into heroin, and working closely with other agencies we have heard it is mainly coming from the southern border.”

Prosecutors have previously said New York prosecutions are often constrained by state requirements or overwhelmed by the sheer number of overdose cases, which could potentially generate countless homicide prosecutions during a time of staffing issues. As a result, though many are held responsible for selling drugs, few are held responsible for causing the deaths directly, locally and across NY.

The DEA website, DEA.gov, states,“Fentanyl is a potent synthetic opioid drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use as an analgesic (pain relief) and anesthetic. It is approximately 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin as an analgesic.”

Fentanyl can be “snorted/sniffed, smoked, [taken] orally by pill or tablet, spiked onto blotter paper, patches, sold alone or in combination with heroin and other substances, has been identified in fake pills, mimicking pharmaceutical drugs such as oxycodone,” stated the DEA.