DPS stops 230 lbs of fentanyl from heading to Phoenix

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) -- A traffic stop about 45 minutes north of the Arizona-Mexico border ended with Department of Public Safety Troopers finding roughly 230 pounds of fentanyl and nearly 10 pounds of cocaine on Friday. According to DPS, a Drug Enforcement and Investigations Bureau trooper stopped a driver in a 2015 Honda Accord who was heading north on Interstate 19 near Amado.

The trooper saw something suspicious, so the car was searched. The trooper discovered roughly 1,042,000 fentanyl pills weighing 229.8 pounds and 9.65 pounds of cocaine hidden inside. The estimated street value in Phoenix is $3.1 million. The driver, 27-year-old Fernando Alfonso-Fernandez, was arrested and booked into the Pima County Jail on charges including possession, transportation and sale of narcotic drugs for sale.

According to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, fentanyl-related overdoses increased by 5,000% since 2015.

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