T-L Photo/ROBERT A. DEFRANK Detective Randy Stewart of the Belmont County Sheriff’s Office speaks Thursday about an arrest in late September of two men transporting a large amount of fentanyl.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — On Sept. 22, the Belmont County Criminal Interdiction Unit arrested two people on felony drug charges after a traffic stop on U.S. 40 near the intersection of Belmont County 214.

During the stop, detectives discovered more than 2,500 counterfeit pills that had the markings “M30.”

“However, after testing it was confirmed that these pills were not what they seem, and they actually contained the deadly drug fentanyl,” Detective Randy Stewart said.

Stewart said the pills have been through initial testing, and he suspects all of them contain fentanyl to one degree of potency or another.

“These people are mixing these pills with these ingredients themselves. Food coloring, binders, a little bit of fentanyl. Some pills may have very small amounts of fentanyl, some may have larger amounts of fentanyl. Our concern is that small amounts of fentanyl kills people,” Stewart said.

“Sheriff (David) Lucas wants to warn potential users about these counterfeit pills that his office is seeing in the area. Belmont County is tracking 20 fatal overdoses countywide already this year,” Stewart said, adding the pills equate to 2,500 potential deaths.

He said there were 26 overdose deaths in the county ast year.

Stewart said the large quantity of pills roused the detectives’ suspicions. The detectives also noticed some slight discoloration in the pills.

“It’s so important for people to understand if you’re not getting those pills from a pharmacist, you have no idea what you’re getting, and they look exactly like the prescription pills. … If you’re a potential user, don’t think you’re getting the Percocet off the street, that it’s actually a Percocet,” he said.

“We know there’s a heavy presence of fentanyl in Belmont County, as with all across the United States,” Stewart said. “It’s a win for us. We know that even small amounts of fentanyl can take lives, and if we take that off the street, that’s a lifesaver. … We have seen a huge influx of fentanyl. The Belmont County Interdiction Unit is out there every day, combating this war on drugs.”

Jeremy Howze, 32, and Ernest Whitsett, 26, both from the Cleveland area, were booked on first-degree felony possession of drugs. They later bonded out of jail. Both Howze and Whitsett may face additional charges after review of the case by the prosecutor’s office.

According to Belmont County Eastern Division Court, Whitsett appeared at a hearing Thursday, waived his right to a preliminary hearing and was bound over to common pleas court and a grand jury. Howze’s case was continued to Oct. 20.