What did Bryce Francis do? Oklahoma restaurant worker arrested after drugs found in fast-food order

Bryce Francis, a fast-food employee at an Oklahoma restaurant, was arrested for the distribution of drugs, police said.

As per reports, the arrest was made after cops found a small bag containing meth in a customer's burger order. The incident is said to have taken place earlier in the week, on Monday, June 20.

The Skiatook Police Department detained Bryce Francis once the matter was brought to their attention. Speaking about the incident, the Skiatook police said:

"An individual made an order at the restaurant and when they received their order, they found a small baggy of drugs inside their bag."

The customer alerted the authorities about finding a small bag of a "crystalline substance" inside their order. The customer even approached the restaurant's manager. Authorities said he even clicked a photo of the order and the packet and submitted it to the police.

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Bryce Francis only arrested, not convicted, says Skiatook PD

Officers from Skiatook PD detailed the entire incident in a Facebook post. They ended it with a statement stating that Bryce Francis was yet to be convicted for the crime.

In the post, Skiatook PD also wrote what they did upon finding the bag:

"Officers learned that the baggy had a crystalline substance inside of it that later field-tested positive for methamphetamine."

The department also urged residents to be diligent, especially before consuming food or handing it to a child whenever they dine out.

As per online records, Bryce Francis was arrested and charged with distributing a controlled substance within 2,000 feet of a school or park and possessing a controlled substance.

In a video arraignment held on Tuesday, a plea of not guilty was entered for Bryce Francis, online records stated. He is currently being held at the Osage County Jail while his bail amount is set at $25,000 bail. Francis' next hearing is scheduled for June 30.

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Drug abuse rising in the U.S.

Drug abuse is on the rise across all demographics. It could be heroin, prescription drugs, marijuana, or synthetics.

In this case, the drug seized by police was methamphetamine or meth. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has referred to meth as a "powerful, highly addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system."

According to a study by NIDA, since 2014, the number of deaths in the U.S. due to psychostimulants like methamphetamine has continued to rise, with 23,837 deaths in 2020 alone.

Under Oklahoma law, methamphetamine is a Schedule 2 drug, and even possessing trace or residue amounts can lead to arrest.

While possession is a misdemeanor offense in the state, an individual can be ordered to pay a maximum fine of $1,000 and sentenced to no more than one year in jail.

However, distributing or possessing with the intent to distribute can attract a penalty involving a two-year jail term and a maximum fine of up to $20,000.