HIALEAH, Fla. – A Hialeah couple’s apartment was a drug house ― and sales of drugs like methamphetamines, heroin and fentanyl happened right in front of their 17-year-old daughter, according to the city’s police department.
Peder Andre Larsen, 48, is facing 18 felony drug charges. Additionally, both he and his wife, Sharon Kira Larsen, 47, are each facing a child abuse charge. Both were arrested on Monday.
Sharon Larsen works as a teacher for Miami-Dade County Public Schools, a district official confirmed Tuesday evening.
Authorities said after a series of undercover buys, a search warrant at the 5490 W. 21st Court apartment revealed more than 1,400 grams of a methamphetamine-fentanyl mixture, 125 grams of cocaine, both in liquid and powder forms, 67 grams of heroin, 35 THC cartridges, 91 grams of suspected Xanax and 168 grams of fentanyl pills.
Authorities said they found more than $10,000 in vacuum-sealed containers and $10,000 more in a safe.
An arrest report states that officers arrested the Larsens on a child abuse charge because of “the seizure of an abundance of controlled substances within the small household, which were within reaching distance of the victim and the sale of controlled substances which occurred while the victim was present in the household.”
Sharon Larsen was not directly implicated in drug trafficking, though authorities said she was present during one of the deals in which her daughter was also present.
She was being held in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a $2,500 bond, while Peder Larsen was being held on a bond of more than $170,000.
Regarding Sharon Larsen, an M-DCPS spokesperson said in an email Tuesday that district officials are “profoundly trouble by the allegations.”
“Although the incident is not school-related, the District has initiated employment termination proceedings and will ensure the individual is precluded from seeking future employment with the District,” a statement reads. “Miami-Dade County Public Schools is committed to upholding all employees to the highest standard of integrity and will not tolerate the type of conduct for which she was arrested.”