NOGALES, Ariz. — Large quantities of illegal drugs are off the streets Thursday after a vehicle inspection in Nogales.
On Feb. 20, an Arizona trooper with the Department of Public Safety initiated a stop of a driver operating a commercial vehicle on Mariposa Road near Interstate 19 in Nogales.
During the inspection, the trooper reportedly saw several indicators of criminal activity. Officials said the trooper then searched the commercial vehicle and found the following items hidden in the semi-trailer:
- Approximately 1,035 pounds of suspected methamphetamine
- Approximately 173 pounds of suspected fentanyl pills (about 784,000 pills)
- Approximately 21.75 pounds of suspected cocaine
Authorities identified the truck driver as a 38-year-old man from Nogales, Sonora. He was reportedly booked into the Santa Cruz County Detention Center on several charges, including possession and transportation of a narcotic drug for sale and possession and transportation of a dangerous drug for sale.
Officials added that the street value of the methamphetamine recovered during the stop is estimated at nearly $1 million. The estimated value of the seized fentanyl is approximately $3.1 million and the street value of the seized cocaine is an estimated $197,000.
Four days before this incident, troopers seized 286 pounds of suspected fentanyl pills after a one-vehicle crash on Interstate 10 in Sacaton. The estimated street value of the seized fentanyl was an estimated $5.1 million.
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