Police find 40,000 fentanyl pills in cat litter bucket after drive-by shooting in north Spokane

Police confiscated at least 40,000 fentanyl pills in a cat litter bucket, as well as 9 kilograms of methamphetamine and thousands of counterfeit dollars when officers responded to a drive-by shooting earlier this month in north Spokane.

Officers were called to the shooting reportedly involving multiple vehicles around 7:30 p.m. Feb. 6 at North Nettleton Street and West Rowan Avenue, according to a Spokane Police Department news release. Officers found shell casings in the street, police said.

Minutes later, an officer noticed a vehicle stalled at North Ash Street and West Francis Avenue and saw two males flee the vehicle with a backpack and the 5-gallon bucket, the release said. The person carrying the backpack and bucket allegedly abandoned the items and jumped a 7-foot fence.

The abandoned vehicle had multiple bullet holes, officers said.

Police are trying to locate whoever was involved. Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Check at (509) 456-2233.

Large-scale drug seizures such as this are becoming more common, police said. Late last month, a man was indicted for allegedly carrying 20,000 fentanyl pills around Spokane, while a father was charged after his 17-month-old daughter died from ingesting the highly potent opioid late last year.

Meanwhile, the number of shootings in Spokane has been on the rise with 36 in 2018, 52 in 2019, 94 in 2020 and 152 in 2021, according to another police news release. From the start of 2022 through Saturday, there have been 21 reports of shootings, include drive-bys, police said.