By Ricardo Roura
06 Oct 2024, 19:35 PM EDT
Hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills seized by Orange County authorities in two separate searches of vehicles loaded with narcotics at the same location on Highway 5 several days apart.
He Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD) reported that in the first case, officers with the agency’s Highway Interdiction Team stopped a driver in the northbound lanes of Basilone Road, near the US Border Patrol station and Camp Pendleton, on September 12.
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“The driver was transporting approximately 442,240 fentanyl pills, 2.4 pounds of fentanyl powder, 22.9 pounds of methamphetamine and 7.9 pounds of cocaine“, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department posted on social media.
It was reported that the suspect was taken into custody from authorities on drug trafficking charges.
They seize more drugs in the same place
A few days later, on September 16, California Border Patrol agents stopped another motorist at the same location, in the San Clemente area, and Inside his vehicle they found 447,100 fentanyl pills packed in garbage bags in the trunk of their car.
The second driver was also jailed. on charges related to drug trafficking.
Keep reading: CBP makes the largest fentanyl seizure of the year on the border with Tijuana
In total, Orange County authorities and agents They seized 889,340 fentanyl pills.
The two arrests were part of a joint working group known as VIPERwhich stands for Vehicle Interdiction, Pipeline Enforcement Resource.
The mission of the task force is to “identify, disrupt and arrest” drug traffickers who frequently use the 5 Freeway and other highways in Southern California to transport drugs throughout the region.
Keep reading: Fentanyl: California seizes 8 million pills
“Excellent work by sheriffs and agents who work diligently to effectively disrupt the flow of narcotics into Orange County and keep our communities safe,” the Orange County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement.
Keep reading:
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