Pierce County deputies confiscated a large amount of fentanyl from a Rochester, Minn. man after a traffic stop for speeding in Hager City last week. He didn’t make it easy for officers, however, by hiding a baggie of the drug in his underwear.

Anthony Joni Pra, 25, posted a $50,000 signature bond April 24 in Pierce County Circuit Court on felony possess with intent – fentanyl > 50 grams, possess with intent – amphetamine/methamphetamine > 10-50 grams and resisting or obstructing an officer charges. If convicted, he faces up to 40 years in prison and/or up to $100,000 in fines.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. It’s a major contributor to fatal and nonfatal overdoses in the United States. Drugs can be laced with deadly levels of fentanyl and people can’t see, taste or smell it.

According to the complaint:

A Pierce County deputy pulled a 2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer, driven by Pra, over at 12:29 a.m. April 21 for going 60 mph in a 30-mph-zone on Highway 63 near the south 825^th Street intersection in Hager City. As the officer spoke to Pra, he saw a baggy on his left thigh containing a powder-like substance and blue fentanyl pills. Pra attempted to cover the baggy with his hand and he refused to hand it over. As the officer pulled on latex gloves for protection, Pra dangled the baggie out the window, then shoved it into his pants. His right hand was also where the officer could not see it.

The deputy drew his firearm and held Pra at gunpoint until other officers arrived. The passenger was ordered to put his hands on his head and Pra complied with the request to throw his keys out the window. When asked to turn over the baggie, he kept asking “What bag?”

While frisking him, officers observed a gem baggie with blue bills in between Pra’s pants and boxer shorts. Pra began yelling at the officer to stop being gay. He told the officer he was just “trying to have a good night” and go to the strip club. Officers attempted to retrieve the baggie but ultimately decided against it because Pra was uncooperative and it has slid further into the boxers. Officers also found a baggie of fentanyl on the driver’s seat in plan view.

In the vehicle, police found a black metal pipe and one baggie of fentanyl containing 100 pills and weighing 11 grams. On the way to the jail, Pra complained about being searched and accused the officer of sexual assault and racial profiling.

Pra wasn’t cooperative with jail staff either and ultimately searched in a cell after multiple attempts to get him through the body scanner. On his person, police found four baggies containing 520 fentanyl pills, two bags containing 90 Adderall pills that tested positive for methamphetamine, and $277 in cash.

Pra is scheduled to appear in Pierce County Circuit Court at 2 p.m. June 5 for a preliminary hearing.