What started as a traffic stop near Burdsal Parkway and Rader Street yesterday ended with Indianapolis police hauling in what they say was nearly 40 pounds of suspected illegal drugs, a pile of cash and two handguns.
Investigators with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department reported seizing more than 18 pounds of suspected fentanyl, about 16 pounds of suspected methamphetamine and nearly 2 pounds of suspected cocaine. Officers also say they recovered roughly $36,000 in cash, a pill press and two handguns. No officers were hurt after detectives used a precision immobilization technique to stop the vehicle, even after the driver allegedly rammed at least one IMPD cruiser and tossed a large bag from the car that was later recovered.
How the stop unfolded and what police recovered
According to a Facebook post by IMPD News, detectives with the Southwest Violence Reduction Team and the Violent Crimes Task Force tried to pull the vehicle over just after 11:30 a.m. Thursday. The driver, identified as 38-year-old Damon Rowie Jr., put the car in drive and sped off, prompting officers to use a precision immobilization technique (PIT) to end the pursuit, the department said.
IMPD reported that the vehicle rammed at least one police cruiser and that a large bag thrown from the car was recovered at the scene. Searches of the vehicle and a residence turned up more than 18 pounds of suspected fentanyl, about 16 pounds of suspected methamphetamine, nearly 2 pounds of suspected cocaine, two handguns, a pill press and roughly $36,000 in cash.
Both Rowie and 58-year-old Anthony Anderson were arrested and face preliminary narcotics-related and weapons-related counts while the Marion County Prosecutor's Office reviews charges, according to IMPD.
Fentanyl's danger
The suspected fentanyl alone is enough to get the attention of federal drug experts. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) warns that as little as two milligrams of fentanyl can be potentially lethal and notes that kilogram-level shipments can represent tens of thousands of deadly doses.
Illicit fentanyl is often mixed into other street drugs, the DEA says, which raises the risk for users and also for first responders who might be exposed while handling it. That is a big part of why seizures of this size pull in significant investigative resources from local and federal agencies.
Part of an ongoing enforcement push
IMPD's Violence Reduction Teams and task forces have leaned into targeting high-volume drug traffickers and getting weapons off Indianapolis streets. WRTV reported that these specialized units recovered hundreds of pounds of narcotics and more than 800 firearms across city districts last year.
Recent coverage of a northwest-side raid offers additional local context for the kind of enforcement activity police say they are prioritizing.
Legal note
IMPD says Rowie was arrested on preliminary counts of dealing narcotics, possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon and resisting law enforcement in a vehicle. Anderson was arrested on preliminary charges of dealing narcotics and possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon.
The department emphasized that both men "should be considered innocent unless and until proven guilty in court" and that the Marion County Prosecutor's Office will make the final charging decisions as the investigation moves forward.
