GREENSBORO, N.C. (WBTV) — A North Carolina middle school teacher was arrested this week in connection with a major fentanyl trafficking operation, authorities said.
Saadia Marie-Denise Owen, an English language arts teacher at Southern Guilford Middle School, was arrested after investigators with the Guilford County Narcotics Task Force and the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office seized approximately 1,250 grams (1.25 kg or 2.75 pounds) of fentanyl on Wednesday, June 25.
According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), that amount of fentanyl is potentially lethal to 625,000 people.
Upon her arrest, Owen was charged with:
Two counts of felony Level 3 trafficking in fentanyl
Maintaining a vehicle or dwelling for the keeping or selling of controlled substances
She was booked into the Rowan County Jail with bond set at $3 million.
Also arrested was Jordan Allen Jefferson, who faces the following charges:
Three counts of felony Level 3 trafficking in fentanyl
Felony maintaining a vehicle/dwelling for controlled substances
Misdemeanor drug paraphernalia possession
Felony aiding and abetting
Jefferson was taken to Guilford County Jail and is currently being held without bond.
The Guilford County Sheriff’s Office said the seizure “may have saved lives” and “sends a strong message to those trafficking deadly substances.”
According to the school’s website, Owen was employed as a middle school English teacher at the time of her arrest. The school district has not yet released an official statement regarding her employment status.
