Bellingham police arrest 2 on suspicion of selling fentanyl concealed in sandwiches
Bellingham police officers arrested two people Thursday night on suspicion of selling fentanyl pills concealed in sandwiches.
Officers investigated Kasey Lynn McConnell, 23, and Joshua Ryan Taylor, 41, in a courtyard on the 1500 block of Cornwall Avenue as it was reported by witnesses that they were allegedly making sandwiches to sell and concealing drugs in them, according to Bellingham Police Lt. Claudia Murphy.
Camera footage allegedly shows Taylor making a sandwich and picking up a small bag in which he slid under the bread in an effort to hide it from view. Police said he handed the sandwich with the bag inside to McConnell, who handed it off to a customer for cash, Murphy said.
Taylor and McConnell were detained and searched. Police found 30 fentanyl pills, $28 in cash, several small bags, and a scale with suspected drug residue on it in Taylor’s backpack. McConnell allegedly had two suspected fentanyl pills and $30 in cash on her person.
McConnell was booked and released and Taylor is still in custody in Whatcom County Jail.
Public drug use was criminalized in Bellingham in April. This ordinance was created and passed due to an increase in fentanyl overdoses and complaints from downtown merchants about open drug use and criminal activity, according to a previous Bellingham Herald article.
