BATON ROUGE — A large-scale fentanyl trafficker and a sophisticated fentanyl manufacturing laboratory have been uncovered in Baton Rouge, according to the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office.

On Thursday, deputies arrested Torrey Lewis Jr., 34, and carried out three search warrants at locations connected to his alleged drug trafficking. 

During the last three months, officials with EBRSO and Louisiana State Police Troop NOLA held an extensive surveillance operation and observed Lewis distributing suspected fentanyl to multiple locations in and around New Orleans.

Officials soon found three Baton Rouge properties believed to be associated with Lewis' operation, one on Cottage Hill Drive, Bluebonnet Boulevard and Mammoth Avenue. 

Officials say they found a large-scale clandestine fentanyl synthesis lab, equipped with sophisticated professional-grade equipment on Cottage Hill Drive. Substantial quantities of dichloromethane, ethanol and other chemicals associated with fentanyl production were also found in the search. 

The value of the laboratory equipment alone is around $250,000, authorities said. 

The main reactor vessel had approximately 58 liters of liquid, officials said. If all 58 liters were successfully synthesized into fentanyl, it could yield 127 pounds of fentanyl powder, around 568,960 potentially fatal doses. 

According to the DEA, this is the largest domestic fentanyl synthesizing laboratory discovered to date in the New Orleans Field Division, which covers Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi.

"Fentanyl has devastated far too many families, and the individuals responsible for manufacturing and distributing it have no regard for the lives they destroy. We will continue to pursue these operations aggressively, working across jurisdictional boundaries to protect the people we serve," East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff Sid J. Gautreaux III said. 

Lewis was arrested and charged with operation of a fentanyl clandestine laboratory, possession with intent to distribute Schedule II narcotics, possession of drug paraphernalia, illegal carrying of a firearm with drugs and money laundering. 

This investigation is ongoing.