The Hawaii Fire Department Hazmat team and state Narcotics Enforcement Division personnel entered a unit at Alii Lani Townhouses Friday to search for suspected fentanyl.
Hawaii Police Department Kona Vice Detective Kelsey Kobayashi said the search was the result of a welfare check call received Wednesday. When police entered the residence, officers reportedly found evidence of suspected fentanyl being extracted from patches.
A 44-year-old Kona woman who resided at the condo and a man were arrested at the scene, but later released pending the investigation.
Kobayashi said three children at the home were taken into protective custody.
Due to the alleged potentially lethal drug inside the condo, officers sealed off the unit, posted police to protect the scene and called in units from the Narcotics Enforcement Division from Honolulu.
On Friday, four members of the division joined Hawaii Fire Department Hazmat personnel and entered the building donning full protective gear.
“Because the suspected drug was fentanyl, which can be lethal, we called them,” Kobayashi said. “They have the training and expertise in dealing with it.”
Officers who were searching for the drugs in the closed up unit with no air conditioning were treated by HFD at the scene for heat-related issues.
Kobayashi said because of the increase of the drug on the island, the vice division will be receiving training to safely handle the deadly opiate.
Because the county police department does not have a presumptive test for fentanyl, the suspected drugs recovered will be sent to the lab in Honolulu for analysis, with results expected by next week.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid typically used to treat patients with chronic severe pain or severe pain following surgery. It is 100 times more potent than morphine. Two milligrams of the drug can be fatal.
