Law enforcement officials in Yavapai County discovered $200,000 worth of fentanyl pills and methamphetamine last week in three separate stops on the same day.
YSCO deputies say they first detained a man from Camp Verde; he was allegedly carrying more than 100 fentanyl pills, along with methamphetamine and heroin. In a subsequent traffic stop, officials pulled over a man from Phoenix and found 10 pounds of methamphetamine, along with an estimated 10,000 fentanyl pills.
Finally, deputies say they detained two other men, both from California, also allegedly carrying drugs. The three stops combined netted more than 10,100 fentanyl pills and 56 pounds of methamphetamine, YSCO announced last week. All four men were arrested after the traffic stops, all conducted on March 10.
Officials have reported a recent string of opioid overdoses in Yavapai County.
“The struggle around addiction is very real,” County Sheriff David Rhodes said in a statement.
“Tuesday, three people overdosed in Cottonwood. Fortunately, first responders were able to revive them and buy them precious time,” he added, referencing a March 9 report from the Cottonwood Police Department.
The Drug Enforcement Administration in February identified the county’s opioid epidemic as the most severe drug threat in the state. The DEA reported 68 overdose deaths in Yavapai County in 2019 — about 35% of the deaths were fueled by opioids.
