East Haven police have arrested a man accused of dropping a bag of drugs that was later picked up by a 7-year-old child at a local Subway restaurant.
Police said on November 22, 2017, officers were called to the Subway at 521 Main Street for a report that a customer had turned in a bag of what they thought was narcotics. Officers seized the bag, which was a large sandwich bag full of seven smaller baggies of a white powder substance. Testing later revealed it contained cocaine and fentanyl.
Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid. According to the US Drug Enforcement Administration’s fentanyl briefing, the drug is 50-100 times more potent than morphine and 30-50 times more potent than heroin. Given its potency it is very easy to be exposed to the drug: the drug can be absorbed through injection and oral ingestion, but also through inhalation and skin contact.
The customer told police her 7-year-old son found the bag on the chip display. The boy did not ingest any of the drugs and did not need medical attention.
New Haven resident Henry Marrero-Rodriguez, 47, was arrested Thursday. Police said investigators identified Marrero-Rodriguez by reviewing surveillance footage from the store. He was charged with possession of narcotics/controlled substance and risk of injury to a minor.
He was held on a $50,000 bond and appeared in court Friday.
