Moorhead Middle Schooler Arrested After Bringing $35,000 Worth of Suspected Fentanyl to School

Student arrested with 1500 fentanyl pills at Horizon Middle School in Moorhead on Dec. 11, 2025. (Moorhead Police Department)

Moorhead, MN – A Horizon Middle School student was arrested Thursday after bringing about 1,500 suspected fentanyl pills to school.

Moorhead Police say staff and the School Resource Officer handled the incident quickly with no disruption to the school day. Police took the 13-year-old boy into custody and said the pills have an estimated street value of more than $35,000. He is being held at the Clay County Juvenile Detention Center on a first-degree controlled substance charge.

Police Chief Chris Helmick called the case “very serious” and “extremely dangerous.” The investigation is ongoing, including how the teen got the pills and whether any were distributed. Police will begin random K9 searches at Horizon Middle School and Moorhead High School.

Superintendent Brandon Lunak says another student reported the pills, calling the act courageous. Both Lunak and Helmick urged parents to talk with their children about the dangers of opioids. The student’s identity is not being released. Narcan is available to all Moorhead officers and in all district schools.