Hazmat Crew Responds To Powerful Opioid Scare In Upscale OC Beach Town

NEWPORT BEACH (CBSLA) — Police serving a federal search warrant discovered what might have been a homemade drug lab in an upscale drag of Newport Beach, which caught some vacationers by surprise Tuesday.

Federal investigators, along with Costa Mesa Police, executed a search warrant at an apartment on the 700 block of East Balboa Boulevard, near the Balboa Pier.

A hazardous material team arrived at the site after authorities suspected the presence of Fentanyl, a powerful opioid 50 to 100 times deadlier than morphine, cordoning off the street.

"We woke up early this morning and went to Disneyland, and we've been there all day, and we're exhausted," said Allison Jerwers, who was on vacation from Sacramento and staying nearby with her family. She, her husband and four children had to cross police tape to get back to the room they were renting.

"It sounds kind of crazy, I don't know," said Jerwers.

Hazmat workers hosed each other down, cautious of the highly toxic opioid.

Police say the man whose apartment was searched posed with bags of drugs on a photo posted to Instagram.

A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office said at least one person, maybe two, were in police custody.