Crime

Man stopped in Fresno County hauling 150 pounds of fentanyl and cocaine, CHP says

Officers found more than $7 million worth of fentanyl and other drugs in a car as a motorist traveled through Fresno County, the California Highway Patrol said Tuesday.

A 27-year-old driver from SeaTac, Washington, was stopped on Interstate 5 near Shields Avenue about 4 p.m. Friday, CHP said in a news release.

An officer found a truck tire in the trunk of the 2013 Toyota Camry that seemed much heavier than it should be, CHP said.

Officers cut open the tire and found 107 pounds of fentanyl and 45 pounds of cocaine, CHP said. They said the street value of the drugs was $7.3 million.

The driver was arrested and held on suspicion of drug possession and transporting the drugs across non-contiguous county lines, CHP said.

He’s held in lieu of $165,000 bail, according to Fresno County Jail records.

A driver passing through Fresno County was stopped with 150 pounds of drugs in a truck tire, the California Highway Patrol said Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023.
A driver passing through Fresno County was stopped with 150 pounds of drugs in a truck tire, the California Highway Patrol said Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL
A driver passing through Fresno County was stopped with 150 pounds of drugs in a truck tire, the California Highway Patrol said Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023.
A driver passing through Fresno County was stopped with 150 pounds of drugs in a truck tire, the California Highway Patrol said Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL

This story was originally published September 12, 2023 at 12:29 PM.

Thaddeus Miller
Merced Sun-Star
Reporter Thaddeus Miller has covered cities in the central San Joaquin Valley since 2010, writing about everything from breaking news to government and police accountability. A native of Fresno, he joined The Fresno Bee in 2019 after time in Merced and Los Banos.
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