A Sanford man was arrested Thursday after police say they found 2 pounds of fentanyl in his vehicle.
Andrew Hanson, 36, was charged with aggravated trafficking in a schedule W drug, according to Shannon Moss, a spokesperson for the Maine Department of Public Safety.
Hanson was suspected of distributing fentanyl and methamphetamine from out of state throughout Greater Sanford, prompting a joint investigation by the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Sanford Police Department.
On Thursday, police stopped Hanson as he returned to Sanford from New Hampshire, Moss said Friday.
During a subsequent search, police turned up 2 pounds of fentanyl, nearly 2.3 ounces of methamphetamine, $1,700 in suspected drug proceeds and a fake handgun, according to Moss.
The drugs are worth an estimated $155,000, Moss said.
His passenger, 20-year-old Julia Rea of Biddeford, also was arrested on a warrant for failing to appear on a theft charge.
Hanson is being held at the York County Jail in Alfred on $25,000 bail.
Fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, is up to 100 times more potent than morphine, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Just 3 milligrams can cause a fatal overdose. There are more than 907,000 milligrams in 2 pounds.