South Carolina woman charged after traffic stop, search reveal nearly 1.5K grams of fentanyl

A South Carolina woman was arrested last week after authorities allegedly discovered nearly 1,500 grams of fentanyl while she was being monitored for “drug-selling activities.”

Spartanburg resident Katelin Lee Abernathy, 25, was arrested Thursday, Aug. 24, after a traffic stop revealed 941 grams of fentanyl, 20 grams of meth, one Glock pistol and one SKS rifle, the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office announced Wednesday.

Abernathy was already under surveillance when she was stopped on Candlenut Lane in the Boiling Springs area, the sheriff’s office said. A K-9 alerted deputies to the drugs during the stop.

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After the traffic stop, authorities obtained a search warrant for a storage unit Abernathy used. At the unit, they found 531 grams of fentanyl, three handguns and four “long guns,” the SCSO said.

Abernathy is charged with trafficking methamphetamine, trafficking fentanyl and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime. She was booked into the Spartanburg County Detention Center with no bond.

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The investigation into Abernathy’s alleged “drug-selling activities” was conducted by the sheriff’s office, Spartanburg County Narcotics Unit, Spartanburg County Home Detention, Spartanburg County ICE Team, Homeland Security Investigations, Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and Union County Sheriff’s Office.

According to calculations by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the fentanyl allegedly found in Abernathy’s possession had the potential to kill around 736,000 people.

Fentanyl is considered to be one of the most dangerous drugs on the market and a “major contributor to fatal and nonfatal overdoses” in America, according to the CDC.

The synthetic opioid is about 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine, according to the DEA, and only two milligrams of fentanyl has the potential kill an adult.

The DEA reports more than 46.4 million fentanyl pills and 6,900 pounds of fentanyl powder have been seized so far in 2023 – representing approximately 204 million deadly doses.