Wanted man charged with ‘Possess with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl’ after traffic stop near Dalhart

DALHART, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) — One man was charged with “Possess with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl” after police pulled him over near Dalhart on Wednesday and discovered that he was allegedly in possession of drugs and was also wanted for escaping from a Texas correctional facility, according to a filed criminal complaint.

The documents detailed that on Wednesday, a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper conducted a traffic stop on a silver-colored Cadillac XTS traveling northbound on US-87 near Dalhart for allegedly speeding. The driver, Steven Richard Nanni, reportedly identified himself as “Ronald Gray Nanni” to the trooper.

The trooper then reportedly “smelled a strong odor of marijuana” coming from inside the vehicle, the complaint read, and ordered Nanni and the two passengers to exit the vehicle. The complaint added that the trooper searched the vehicle and found a backpack on the rear passenger floorboard that allegedly contained:

• A clear zip-top back that contained 29 pre-packaged bags determined to be heroin and weighed around 764.4 grams;
• A second clear zip-top bag that contained a compressed white powder substance determined to be fentanyl and weighed around 519.4 grams;
• A third clear zip-top bag that contained 29 pre-packaged bags with a substance determined to be methamphetamine and weighed 893.4 grams; and
• A small clear bag that contained a white powder which was determined to be fentanyl and weighed 61.1 grams along with pills and cannabinoids.

The trooper discovered that Nanni had provided him with a false name, and law enforcement officers found that Nanni was wanted for allegedly escaping a Texas correctional facility, the documents explained.

During the investigation, the documents noted that Nanni “admitted to involvement with trafficking controlled substances” in the Houston area. Nanni also allegedly admitted to possession of the backpack and admitted to knowing that the backpack contained drugs.

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