Contributed Photo/Courtesy AZDPS: A 26-year-old Rio Rico man was stopped with 36 pounds of fentanyl pills.
Contributed Article/Courtesy AZDPS
MARANA – On Thursday, March 10, an Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS) state trooper and a U.S. Border Patrol agent initiated a traffic stop on the driver of a Volkswagen Jetta on westbound Interstate 10 at milepost 231, in Marana. During the stop, a vehicle search was performed, leading to the discovery of more than 36 pounds of fentanyl pills concealed inside.
The driver, 26-year-old Erick A. Jimenez of Rio Rico, Arizona, was arrested and booked into the Pima County Jail on charges including possession and transportation of a narcotic drug for sale.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, synthetic opioids (such as fentanyl) are currently the main cause of overdose deaths in the United States.