Nogales, Arizona - Tucson Sector Border Patrol agents working at the immigration checkpoint on Interstate 19 near Amado found more than 50 pounds of methamphetamine and multiple fentanyl pills in a Nissan sedan following a canine’s alert on November 22.
Agents referred the driver, an 18-year-old man from Nogales, Arizona, for a secondary inspection of the vehicle after a Border Patrol canine alerted to an odor it was trained to detect. As a result, agents found multiple packages of meth, worth in excess of $162,000, and more than half a pound of fentanyl valued at nearly $12,000.
Agents arrested the driver for narcotics smuggling and seized the sedan and its contents.
According to information posted on DEA.gov, Fentanyl is a potent synthetic opioid, prescribed for severe chronic pain, or breakthrough pain, to patients who are already receiving opioid medication. It is considered to be about 100 times more potent than morphine.