Nevada speeding stop leads to federal charges over 700 pounds of suspected fentanyl and meth

Right · 2A Lincoln County sheriff's deputy stopped a pickup for speeding on U.S. Highway 93 near Ash Springs, Nevada, on Oct. 13, and a narcotics-detection dog alerted to the vehicle, according to prosecutors' account of the criminal complaint. 1 2 Right · 2Authorities say a search found 13 large storage totes holding approximately 30 pounds of suspected fentanyl and 677 pounds of suspected methamphetamine, a combined haul of more than 700 pounds. 1 2 Right · 1According to Fox News's account of the prosecutors' statement, deputies recovered about 187 packages of a white crystalline substance weighing about 307.22 kilograms and 13 brick-shaped packages weighing about 14 kilograms; field tests of selected samples were positive for methamphetamine and fentanyl respectively. 1

Right · 1The driver, Francisco Joel Garcia Farias, 26, is charged with possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of a mixture containing fentanyl and 500 grams or more of a mixture containing methamphetamine; each count carries a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life, followed by five years of supervised release, according to prosecutors. 1 Right · 2The Justice Department identified Garcia Farias as an illegal immigrant in announcing the charges; the charges are allegations and the articles do not report a plea or a response from him. 1 2 Right · 2First Assistant U.S. Attorney Sigal Chattah said the seizure shows the scale of narcotics flowing in from transnational criminal organizations, put the street value at about $2 million, and said 14 kilograms of fentanyl equals roughly seven million potentially lethal two-milligram doses, more than twice Nevada's population. 1 2

Right · 1Attorney General Todd Blanche said anyone planning to release fentanyl onto American streets will be prosecuted, and Homeland Security Investigations executive associate director John A. Condon called the drugs an extraordinary threat to public safety. 1 Right · 1Lincoln County Sheriff Derek Foremaster credited his deputies' traffic enforcement and the trained dog, and said the case shows the threat narcotics pose to rural communities; the investigation involved HSI, the sheriff's office and Homeland Security Task Force partners. 1 Right · 2The two reports differ on the fentanyl figure behind the dose estimate: Fox News quotes Chattah citing 14 kilograms (about 30 pounds), while Just the News says seven pounds represents about 7 million doses, which is inconsistent with the roughly 30 pounds it reports seized. 2 1