Arizona trooper busts 2 men with 30,000 fentanyl pills during traffic stop

8.2 pounds of fentanyl were seized during traffic stop in Casa Grande

Two men in Arizona were arrested last week after a state trooper conducted a traffic stop and discovered approximately 30,000 fentanyl pills in their vehicle, authorities said Sunday.

Manuel Carrillo Serrano and Alan Aguilar, both 25, were pulled over Wednesday in a Chevrolet Cobalt on I-10 in Casa Grande, a city located about 47 miles south of Phoenix, the Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS) posted on Twitter.

After stopping the men, the trooper found three wrapped bundles inside the vehicle containing 8.2 pounds – or about 30,000 pills – of fentanyl.

Carrillo Serrano and Aguilar were arrested and charged with suspicion of transportation of narcotic drugs for sale, authorities said. Both men were being held at the Pinal County Jail on $50,000 bond.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 100 times stronger than morphine and up to 50 times stronger than heroin. It can cause death or serious bodily harm.

Fentanyl is a major contributor to the opioid crisis in the U.S., with synthetic opioids accounting for nearly 73% of all opioid-involved deaths in 2019, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.