A stash of drugs worth over $4 million was recently found in a traffic stop by the Arizona State Police.
According to the Arizona Department of Public Safety, on Monday morning, police officers ordered commercial vehicle drivers to stop traffic on Mariposa Road east of Interstate 19 in Nogales, Arizona.
While inspecting the commercial vehicle, the trooper observed several signs of criminal activity. A subsequent investigation of the commercial vehicle uncovered the following hidden inside the semi-trailer:
- About 1,035 pounds of questionable methamphetamine
- About 173 pounds of questionable fentanyl tablets (about 784,000 tablets)
- About 21.75 pounds of suspected cocaine
The driver, a 38-year-old male from Nogales, Sonora, was incarcerated in the Santa Cruz County Jail on charges including possession and transportation of drugs for sale and possession and transportation of dangerous drugs for sale.
According to the DPS, the street value of the seized methamphetamine is estimated at just over $1 million, while the estimated value of the seized fentanyl is about $3.1 million. The estimated street value of cocaine is approximately $197,000.
This was the second major drug seizure in four days by Arizona State Police.
On Thursday, February 16, police seized 286 pounds (about 1,297,000 pills) of suspected fentanyl pills after a vehicle crashed on Interstate 10 in Sacaton. The driver of the car that caused the accident was hospitalized, and his condition is not life-threatening. The estimated street value of the fentanyl seized in that case was approximately $5.1 million.
