Man calls 911 to say his dealer cheated him and wants his meth tested, Florida cops say

A man convinced he’d been swindled by a drug dealer inadvertently got himself arrested when he called 911 and requested his meth be authenticated, the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office in Florida reported.

It happened around 7 p.m. Thursday, March 10, and the 41-year-old asked that a deputy come to his Spring Hill home to conduct the test, officials said in a news release. Spring Hill is about 50 miles north of Tampa.

A deputy arrived not long after, and the man explained that “he had recently purchased methamphetamine from a male he met in a local bar, and after having used a bit of it, believed it was actually bath salts,” officials said.

The man handed over two small bags of “a white crystal-like substance,” and said he was “an experienced drug user” who knew what meth “should feel like,” the deputy reported.

“Evidently, the substance ... did not provide the expected sensation, hence the call to 9-1-1,” the sheriff’s office wrote.

The man said his intent was to save others from buying “fake” methamphetamine, officials said. However, he was not able to provide the name of the drug dealer or contact information.

Both bags of powder “tested positive for methamphetamine,” sheriff’s office officials said.

The suspect was arrested at his home and charged with possession of methamphetamine and two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia, officials said.

“If you, or someone you know, have doubts about the authenticity of any illegal narcotics you have on-hand or have obtained from another person, the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office is pleased to provide this service, FREE of charge,” the department wrote on Facebook.

This story was originally published March 14, 2022 at 9:49 AM with the headline "Man calls 911 to say his dealer cheated him and wants his meth tested, Florida cops say."