Federal documents outline major fentanyl bust at Charlotte post office

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A man accused of trying to pick up two pounds of the highly-potent drug fentanyl at a southwest Charlotte post office made his first federal court appearance Monday.

Authorities arrested Marcus Armstrong last summer at the Yorkmont Post Office at Old Pineville Road.

(Marcus Armstrong)

[Feds arrest Charlotte man, accused of getting Xanax, fentanyl in mail]

Federal documents obtained by Channel 9 show the Drug Enforcement Agency asked post office workers to keep an eye out for a package from New York.

A law enforcement task force actually used a drug-sniffing dog to try and find the suspicious package, but the dog couldn’t detect it.

Channel 9 asked a K-9 trainer why the dog couldn’t detect the fentanyl. He told Channel 9 it’s because dogs need to be specifically trained to do that, and not many dogs are.

Officers eventually located the package, which was addressed to a home on Rowan Street in west Charlotte.

Officers went to the home and a man admitted to accepting the package for Armstrong, so investigators returned to the post office, and that’s where they confronted Armstrong during his next pickup.

Armstrong is accused of shoving the postal inspector and bolting out the doors with the inspector chasing after him. The inspector caught Armstrong and tackled him to the ground.

It’s not clear who sent the packages and where they were headed. Armstrong told investigators he was getting paid to accept them.

Read more top trending stories on wsoctv.com:

• Mourners arrive as public pays respects to Rev. Billy Graham
• CMPD: Woman not in crosswalk when hit, killed by car on South Tryon
• Police find no evidence of shots fired after Concord Mills lockdown
• WATCH: Keith Monday's Monday forecast outlook
• President Trump to attend funeral for Rev. Billy Graham

Cox Media Group