A meaty haul: CHP seizes $1.7 million worth of fentanyl in less than a week — including in raw beef

 

SACRAMENTO — The California Highway Patrol (CHP) last week conducted two traffic stops on Interstate 5 in the Central Valley, leading to the seizure of 120,000 fentanyl-laced pills and 11 pounds of fentanyl valued at $1.7 million. The officers arrested three suspects from out of state, including one who had attempted to conceal the illegal drugs inside multiple packages of raw beef.

In the last week, the CHP announced the following operations:

• Fresno County – On October 3, a traffic stop on Interstate 5 in Fresno County led to a major drug bust after a CHP canine officer was alerted to the presence of narcotics in a cooler in the vehicle. The cooler contained multiple packages of carne asada beef, used to conceal the presence of 11 pounds of fentanyl valued at approximately $500,000. The suspect, a resident of the State of Washington, was arrested at the scene and booked into the Fresno County Jail on felony charges of possession of fentanyl for sale and transportation of fentanyl across non-contiguous counties.
• Merced County — On October 4, 2024, a CHP Central Division canine officer seized around 120,000 fentanyl-laced pills and two handguns during a traffic stop on Interstate 5 in Los Banos. The discovery, with an estimated street value of $1.2 million, resulted in the arrest of two suspects, both from the State of Washington, on multiple felony charges.

Cracking down on fentanyl

California is taking aggressive action to end the fentanyl and opioid crisis. The Governor’s Master Plan for Tackling the Fentanyl and Opioid Crisis provides a comprehensive framework to deepen the impact of these investments, including aggressive steps to support overdose prevention efforts, hold the opioid pharmaceutical industry accountable, crack down on drug trafficking, and raise awareness about the dangers of opioids, including fentanyl.
 
In June, Governor Newsom expanded the deployment of the Cal Guard’s Counterdrug Task Force by more than doubling the number of service members interdicting fentanyl and other drugs at California ports of entry from 155 to nearly 400. This effort has produced strong results. Cal Guard’s Counterdrug Task Force has now seized over 5,000 pounds of fentanyl powder and 9.6 million pills containing fentanyl since January 2024. These seizures are valued at over $43 million. Fentanyl is primarily smuggled into the country by U.S. citizens through ports of entry.