Police trace tainted drugs back to supplier after deadly Westfield overdose, court docs reveal

INDIANAPOLIS - One person is under arrest after being accused of supplying tainted drugs that led to a deadly overdose in Westfield.




Larry Collins Jr., 53, of Michigan City is charged with one count of dealing a controlled substance resulting in death, a Level 1 felony.

Investigators say tainted drugs supplied by Collins led to the death of Andrew Kitt on Nov. 5, 2024, in Westfield.




According to court documents, Kitt and a friend purchased cocaine from a drug dealer at the corner of 38th Street and N. High School Road on Nov. 4. - the day before Kitt was found dead.




Kitt's friend then returned to the same spot to purchase more drugs from the dealer, leaving Kitt behind.




Investigators collected cell phone data from the area of 38th and N. High School road zeroing in on the times of these two drug deals.

According to court documents, investigators uncovered a cell phone number that pinged to the area during these timeframes. The number was also tied to a Telegram account.




Investigators linked the cell phone number and the Telegram account to Collins. Police said photos on the Telegram account matched descriptions of the suspected dealer supplied by Kitt's friend.




Digging into Collins, investigators found several suspicious factors that pointed to him being a drug supplier. These factors included no work history since 2019 and a vehicle purchased in 2020 with roughly 33,000 miles that currently exceeds 229,000 miles.




"Although high mileage driving isn't illegal, it can be consistent with patterns commonly observed in interstate drug distribution," investigators wrote.




For several days, officers surveilled Collins after he was spotted back in the Indianapolis area in April.




Court documents reveal that messages sent from Collins to Kitt's friend mentioned the drug supplier being aware that the cocaine he was selling was laced. One message allegedly from Collins warned, "don't do it strong" and "lac on it." Investigators explained "lac" referred to the drugs being laced.




Court records reveal Collins has a federal and state criminal history with charges of trafficking drugs stretching back to 1990.




A warrant for Collins' arrest was issued on May 2. He was picked up by police five days later and taken into custody. Collins is currently being held in Hamilton County Jail.




If convicted of a Level 1 felony, Collins could face up to 40 years in prison.





via: https://fox59.com/news/indycrime/police-trace-tainted-drugs-back-to-supplier-after-deadly-westfield-overdose-court-docs-reveal/