Nearly $2 million worth of fentanyl was seized in California’s Central Valley in early October, some of which it said was hidden in packaged raw beef.
According to California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office, California Highway Patrol officers conducted two traffic stops on the I-5 Freeway last week, leading to the seizure of 120,000 fentanyl-laced pills and 11 pounds of fentanyl. The estimated street value of the loot is $1.7 million.
California Highway Patrol
The first incident occurred on October 3, when officers stopped a suspect in Fresno County on I-5. During the stop, an officer “was alerted to the presence of narcotics in a cooler in the vehicle,” according to the press release.
Inside, they found multiple packages of carne asada beef, concealing 11 pounds of fentanyl. They say it was worth about $500,000.
The suspect, identified only as a Washington State man, was arrested and charged with felony possession of fentanyl for the purpose of selling and transporting fentanyl through non-contiguous counties.
In addition to the drugs seized by officers, several illegally owned firearms were also recovered.
The next day, October 4, a CHP canine officer made another traffic stop on I-5 in Los Banos, located in Merced County. The stop resulted in the seizure of nearly 120,000 fentanyl pills and two handguns.
California Highway Patrol
Investigators say the estimated street value of the pills is approximately $1.2 million. Two suspects, also from Washington state, were arrested and charged with multiple crimes, the governor’s office said.
“Across the state, California continues the hard work to get deadly and illegal drugs off our streets,” Governor Newsom said in a statement. “I am proud of the efforts of our CHP officers here to keep our community safe and hold drug traffickers accountable.”
Since January 2024, the Cal Guard Counterdrug Task Force has seized more than 5,000 pounds of fentanyl powder and 9.6 million pills containing fentanyl, worth an estimated $43 million. The increase in seizures comes after Governor Newsom decided to expand the task force and double the number of troops.
