BURLINGTON, NC -- Who would drop 97 bags of drugs, worth up to $60,000 and walk away? That's what Burlington Police are trying to find out.
This is the second time this month that drugs have been abandoned on the streets of Burlington and police are looking for answers.
On September 2nd, neighbors reported $40,000 worth of fentanyl-laced heroin on Eldermont Street.
Wednesday, just 1.4 miles away, a police officer stumbled upon the bags of drugs in the Gus's Drive-In parking lot on Chapel Hill Road.
Police say determining what the drugs are is the first step in the investigation.
"We want to get the substance identified. It could be drugs it could be something unrelated to drugs," Denise Jones of the Burlington Police Department said. "It could be cake batter or baking soda or something that resembles the consistency of a drug."
Police officers are able to do that with a field test.
Officers place the substance in this bag and break the tubes inside. The tubes release chemicals that mix with the substance and can help them identify it.
"Really the kit does all the work. We are just inserting the substance and reading the instructions that say this is how you test that substance and then you get the results," Jones said.
Wednesday's field test said the 97 bags were filled with fentanyl. That's a pain killer more powerful than morphine. It's often laced with heroin to give users a stronger high.
Police are concerned that this drug has made it's way to Burlington. The deadly combination of fentanyl and heroin is responsible for hundreds of overdose deaths across the nation.
Gus's Drive-In is right across the street from a neighborhood. Anyone could have found the drugs. Police are relieved it was an officer.
Fentanyl can be absorbed through the skin. When testing the drugs officers have to wear protective gear.
Anyone with information is urged to call Crimestoppers. 336-229-7100.