NOGALES, AZ — More than 1,000 pounds of suspected illegal drugs have been seized in Nogales, Arizona.
On Monday, Arizona state troopers made a traffic stop involving a commercial motor vehicle, east of Interstate 19.
During the traffic stop, the trooper allegedly noticed indicators of criminal activity.
After a search of the vehicle, several different types of drugs were located in a semi-trailer attached, according to Department of Public Safety officials.
Authorities seized approximately:
- 1,035 pounds of suspected methamphetamine
- 173 pounds of suspected fentanyl pills (about 784,000 pills)
- 21.75 pounds of suspected cocaine
The estimated street value of the meth is just over $1 million, while the estimated value of the fentanyl seized is approximately $3.1 million. The estimated street value of the cocaine is approximately $197,000.
The driver, identified as a 38-year-old man from Nogales, Sonora, was booked into the Santa Cruz County Detention Center for multiple charges including possession and transportation of a narcotic drug for sale.
Monday's drug bust marks the second major drug seizure by DPS in just four days.
Last Thursday, troopers seized 286 pounds of suspected fentanyl, nearly 1.3 million pills, after a crash on Interstate 10 in Sacaton. The estimated street value of those pills is approximately $5.1 million.
The driver involved in that crash was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, according to DPS.
In total, troopers stopped more than two million fentanyl pills from possibly hitting the streets of Arizona.
