Couple accepted delivered package of deadly opioid, sheriff says

A Sarasota couple is facing charges after they received a package of carfentanil, a powerful and deadly opioid, in the mail.

Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office detectives were notified on Aug. 11 by the Department of Homeland Security that a package believed to contain fentanyl, an opioid stronger than heroin, was being shipped to a Sarasota address.

The package was intercepted, and a clear bag with a powdery substance inside tested positive for 0.5 grams of carfentanil, according to an affidavit from the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.

The package was delivered to a home in the 4000 block of Proctor Road, where Michael Bennett, 39, and Trisha Steffes, 36, accepted it and brought it inside, according to the release.

After the package was carried in, Bennett went out of the home’s back door, got on a bicycle and rode away, according to an affidavit.

Within moments, a search warrant was served on the home, and Bennett was detained.

Investigators found the package under a couch. Both Bennett and Steffes admitted to accepting the packing and knowing carfentanil was inside, according to an affidavit.

The search warrant served also yielded 7.8 grams of fentanyl found in a false electrical outlet in a bedroom and paraphernalia consistent with the distribution of fentanyl and drug use, according to the affidavit. An oxycodone pill was also found in Steffes’ purse that she admitted was hers.

Bennett and Steffes are charged with delivery of carfentanil, possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute and possession of drug paraphernalia. Steffes is also charged with possession of oxycodone.

Bennett, who has a previous arrest on a culpable negligence charge, was released Saturday on a $15,500 bond, according to the sheriff’s office.

Steffes was released Sunday on a $17,000 bond.

This story was originally published August 14, 2017 at 5:21 PM with the headline "Couple accepted delivered package of deadly opioid, sheriff says."