TUCSON, Ariz. — A Glendale man has been charged with transporting more than 450 kilograms of fentanyl after the drugs were found at the border, prosecutors say.
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According to the US Attorney's Office, David Quintero-Mascareno, 20, Glendale, was arrested on Monday for Knowingly and Intentionally Possessing with Intent to Distribute 400 Grams or More of a Mixture or Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Fentanyl.
Court documents say that, on July 1, Quintero-Mascareno was driving a gray Dodge Ram towing a trailer loaded with a utility terrain vehicle when he presented for inspection at the Port of Entry in Lukeville.
Prosecutors say Quintero-Mascareno claimed he was returning to the United States from Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, Mexico, also known as Rocky Point, and gave a negative customs declaration for contraband. A Customs and Border Protection (CBP) drug detection canine alerted to the trailer.
CBP officers found approximately 234 packages, containing blue pills imprinted with “M30,” concealed in the trailer’s floorboards and rails. A representative sample of the pills field-tested positive for the properties of fentanyl. The packages weighed a total of almost 460 kilograms.
A conviction for Possession with Intent to Distribute 400 Grams or More of Fentanyl carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, a fine of $10,000,000, or both, and a maximum term of five years supervised release.
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