MOORHEAD, Minn. — Moorhead police are detailing an investigation involving a 13-year-old student who was found in possession of approximately 1,500 fentanyl pills at Horizon Middle School.
According to Valley News Live, Police were called to the east side of the campus on Dec. 11 after school officials were notified that a seventh-grade student had a bag of suspected drugs. The pills were discovered by another student, who reported the find to staff and the school resource officer.
“There were approximately 1,500 pills in the possession of this student,” Moorhead Police Chief Chris Helmick said during a press conference on Dec. 12.
Helmick said the pills were blue fentanyl tablets with an estimated street value of $25 per pill, placing the total value at roughly $37,500. While that quantity is not uncommon in adult drug trafficking cases, Helmick said it is unprecedented for a child of that age.
“It’s one thing if it’s an adult,” Helmick said. “You put that in a child who’s much smaller, and as the same quantity as that, you’re likely going to kill him.”
Moorhead Area Public Schools Superintendent Brandon Lunak declined to provide details about how the student discovered the bag but praised the student for reporting it.
“Because of their courageous actions of finding somebody and telling somebody something they knew wasn’t right, we were able to take care of the situation,” Lunak said.
The 13-year-old was arrested on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance and remains in a juvenile detention center. The student is not being identified because of his age.
Police said the investigation into how the student obtained the drugs is ongoing and that anyone connected to the case will be held accountable.
School officials said the incident is one of several drug- and weapon-related investigations involving students in the Moorhead Area School District this year.
Helmick became emotional near the end of the press conference, calling the recent investigations frustrating for both law enforcement and school officials.
“Dr. Lunak and I are both in agreement that we’ve had enough of this,” Helmick said. “Our parents and students have had enough of this, and it’s going to stop. I’ve got kids in Horizon as well. This is a wake-up call for all of us. This can happen here.”
In response, Moorhead police and school officials announced plans to conduct random K-9 searches across the district. Police said the searches will become a regular practice moving forward.
