ALLEN PARK, Mich. (WXYZ) — "Families are being devastated," said Pam Blair who lost her 23-year-old son Justin to a drug overdose that included fentanyl in 2017.
Blair now works as a Family Recovery Services Assistant with Families Against Narcotics (FAN).
"The more fentanyl we can get off the street, the better," said Blair.
And the Detroit Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration and U.S. Attorney's Office did just that with the arrest and conviction of 52-year-old Robert Cortez Burrell of Allen Park.
On Thursday, Burrell was convicted of federal drug and gun crimes.
It reportedly took the jury less than an hour to find Burrell guilty of drug trafficking in a case that involved 300 grams of heroin and 800 grams of fentanyl.
That fentanyl recovered by federal agents from houses belonging to Burrell is equivalent to 400,000 potentially deadly doses of the drug.
Federal agents said Burrell was making and storing drugs in two houses in Lincoln Park as well as his personal residence in Allen Park, and then distributing the drugs between Michigan and Ohio.
Burrell was taken into custody after the verdicts. He's set to be sentenced in early 2023. He's expected to received a minimum sentence of ten years behind bars.
Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid, and two milligrams is typically considered a potentially lethal dose. And Blair said just about every illegal drug is being laced with it.
To help individuals struggling with addiction and their families, Blair urges they reach out to Families Against Narcotics as soon as possible. She now dedicates herself to helping others.
"When my son was struggling there was no Families Against Narcotics family coaching program. Fan is doing such amazing work now and our programs are just growing and expanding to help those struggling and their families. So, there's so much work being done out there, but there's just so much more we need to do."
