Woman Texts Drug Dealer for Fentanyl but Misses 1 Detail That Lands Her Straight in Jail
A woman in Florida was arrested at the end of last month after accidentally texting a law enforcement officer specializing in tracking down drug offenders.
Octavia Wells, 41, was trying to purchase fentanyl before leaving town, so she sent a text message to a number which she thought belonged to a dealer, according to WTVY.
But that number actually belonged to a narcotics investigator who works for the Bay County Sheriff’s Office.
41-year-old Octavia Wells believed she was contacting a drug dealer to purchase fentanyl before leaving town, but instead sent the message to a BCSO narcotics investigator. pic.twitter.com/L3Iq009lIm
— Pat López Carrere (@LopezCarrere) January 7, 2025
Wells texted the cop with an offer of $45 for “a couple of points” of fentanyl, according to a copy of the police report obtained by The Smoking Gun.
A “point” of fentanyl is one-tenth of a gram, the typical increment in which the substance is sold.
The investigator continued to message with Wells in an undercover manner to set up a supposed fentanyl sale.
Wells went to a Tom Thumb convenience store in Panama City, Florida, to meet the man she thought was the fentanyl dealer, only to meet multiple Bay County Sheriff’s Office officers instead.
The suspect had been texting with an investigator named Stephen Pettijohn, who goes by PJ, apparently causing confusion since his initials are similar to those of her drug dealer.
A search of her car revealed the presence of drug paraphernalia, with some of the items testing positive for fentanyl.
Wells was booked into the county jail and released on a $5,000 bond, with a hearing scheduled for Jan. 30.
She faces charges like unlawful use of a two-way communication device, possession of drug paraphernalia, and driving with a suspended or revoked license with knowledge, per WTVY.
Bay County Sheriff’s Office authorities told the public to “be careful who you text.”
This story is, of course, rather amusing.
Imagine the shock Wells experienced when she realized that she had made the fateful mistake of texting a cop, the absolute last person with whom anyone would want to discuss a drug purchase.
But fentanyl is far from a laughing matter.
Like many other states, Florida has been battling the opioid epidemic for years.
The numer of “unintentional and undetermined drug overdose deaths more than doubled” between 2014 and 2016, rising from 2,175 to 4,672, according to data from the Florida Department of Health.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody nevertheless announced last year that the state is leading the nation with respect to fentanyl seizures and is seeing a decline in drug-related deaths.
In other words, fentanyl is no joke, and the silly mistake made by that woman may be the best thing that ever happened to her.
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