BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — A drug bust by the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office leads to the arrest of a 29-year-old Baton Rouge man.
According to EBRSO, over the past two months, detectives with EBRSO narcotics, Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office and the DEA were investigating Bernard Kinchen, 29. Kinchen was identified as a distributor of pressed fentanyl pills. Detectives conducted multiple undercover purchases from Kinchen. Agents were then able to get an arrest warrant for Kinchens and search warrants for multiple locations.
On Thursday, June 1, detectives conducted the search warrants for the following locations:
- 4900 block of Stumberg Lane
- 11000 block of Mead Road
- 15900 block of Tiger Bend Road
- 8500 block of Leake Avenue
- 14700 block of Stonewood Drive
Before detectives performed the search warrant, they contacted Kinchen outside of his apartment before he fled on foot. Detectives seized 400 pressed fentanyl pills in his pocket.
After performing the search warrants at all locations, detectives seized 3000 pressed fentanyl pills, an ounce of cocaine, over 20 pounds of marijuana, $80,000, five handguns, and three assault rifles.
Kinchen was charged with seven counts of distribution of Schedule II drugs, possession with the intent to distribute Schedule II drugs, possession of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Another suspect, Caylen Billingsley, 26, was arrested and charged with possession with the intent to distribute Schedule II drugs, possession with the intent to distribute Schedule I drugs, three counts of possession of a firearm with a controlled dangerous substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
“I’m so proud and grateful for all the work these investigators have put in to combating the street-level distribution of Fentanyl,” EBR Sheriff Sid Gautreaux said. “People are dying in our community every day from this dangerous drug. A very small amount is deadly, and it kills indiscriminately. To think this seizure alone included 3,000 lethal doses is staggering. I commend our Narcotics division and all who assisted.”