ST. LANDRY PARISH, La. (KLFY) — Following the largest fentanyl related arrest in St. Landry Parish history, Sheriff Bobby Guidroz said now is the time to push the fight against the deadly drug.

“We busted Benjamin Pittman, this was the largest fentanyl arrest and bust that we’ve made in St. Landry Parish, he had enough fentanyl to kill one million and two hundred thousand people,” Guidroz said.

Guidroz said a pill press was also located with the over five pounds of fentanyl, this gave Pittman the ability to insert fentanyl into various pills and other drugs, making distribution even easier, putting even more residents at risk of exposure.

“The amount of fentanyl that he had he wasn’t going to be the only one to distribute this,” Guidroz said. “So that makes it worse because then not just one person dealing it but multiple people involved.”

With fentanyl continuing to be an issue across the country, Guidroz said he plans to use this incident as fuel to the fire as he travels to the steps of the capitol in Baton Rouge this weekend, seeking federal funding to help law enforcement continue to combat fentanyl distribution.

“The fight is huge. It’s unfair to law enforcement, it’s unfair to the citizens,” Guidroz said. “I think it’s horrible, we have to fight it though. We have to keep kicking the ant pile; and we’re doing it with the resources, the limited resources that we have. We’re trying to see if we can get the federal government to send money down to local law enforcement and help us fight this evil.”

With multiple law enforcement officials expected to appear in Baton Rouge, Guidroz hopes it will send a message that the war on fentanyl is far from over.