Arizona State Troopers Seize More Than 1,500 Pounds of Fentanyl in Six-Month Period

On Wednesday, March 27, 2024, AZDPS troopers seized approximately 28.85 pounds of fentanyl pills, 165 pounds of methamphetamine, two pounds of heroin, over one pound of cocaine, five firearms, four vehicles, and over $20,000 in three different incidents in less than six hours in the Phoenix metro area.  Six individuals were arrested in these incidents and are facing both state and federal charges. 

Yesterday’s seizures demonstrate the AZDPS’ continued commitment to disrupt the flow of illicit substances into the State of Arizona and our nation.  Over the past six months – between September 1, 2023, and March 22, 2024 – the AZDPS Criminal Investigations and Highway Patrol divisions have seized more than 1,576 pounds of fentanyl combined across the state. This equates to over 7,000,000 pills.

Many of these seizures were significant in terms of weight – 32 seizures were over 10 pounds– which reflects large-scale, organized drug trafficking activity. In some cases, the drugs were bound for major cities across the country, including Chicago and Albuquerque.

The largest seizure occurred following a commercial vehicle stop in Eloy in January of 2024, resulting in the discovery of 208 pounds of fentanyl valued at over $1 million.

AZDPS would like to thank our partners at the federal, state, and local levels who provided vital assistance in many of these investigations.

Please talk to your loved ones about the dangers associated with taking unknown pills.

Lab testing by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) shows roughly 7 out of every 10 fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills contain a potentially deadly dose of fentanyl. Additionally, some of the pills seized in these incidents tested positive for xylazine, a powerful sedative that places users at even higher risk of suffering a fatal drug poisoning.