Man faces felony drug charges

COEUR d’ALENE — Police arrested a Washington man who they say had numerous illegal drugs, including fentanyl.

Noah T. Grant, 37, of Spokane, is charged with two counts of possession of a controlled substance and one count of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, all felonies.

Kootenai County Sheriff’s deputies stopped Grant’s vehicle on Interstate 90 around 9 p.m. last Wednesday for an alleged traffic violation.

Deputies said they observed clear plastic baggies containing a white, crystalline substance in the back seat of Grant’s car.

A search of the vehicle yielded baggies that contained substances that were later confirmed to be meth and heroin, according to court documents.

Deputies also said they found a single fentanyl pill, commonly known as a “mexi,” as well as a digital scale with drug residue on the weight plate.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid more than 50 times more powerful than morphine or heroin.

Police arrested Grant at the scene.

Local law enforcement said a recent spike in deadly overdoses is linked to dangerous counterfeit prescription pills.

About one in six counterfeit pills circulating in the community contains a lethal dose of fentanyl, according to the Coeur d’Alene Police Department.

Five fatal overdoses involving counterfeit pills were reported in Kootenai County during an eight-day period in May. Those who died were between the ages of 15 and 60.

The source of the pills remains under investigation.

Prosecutors said in court Thursday that Grant has multiple prior felony convictions in Washington state.

Judge Mayli Walsh ordered that Grant be held on $100,000 bail.