Woman arrested after smuggling $1.6M worth of fentanyl into Utah, police say

ST. GEORGE, Utah ( ABC4 ) — A woman is facing charges after she allegedly smuggled 108,000 fentanyl pills into the Beehive State, worth an estimated $1,620,000.

Jazmin Tentory-Ortega, 27, was arrested on suspicion of possession with the intent to distribute a controlled substance, a second-degree felony, the St. George Police Department said.

Just after 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 4, St. George officers received an anonymous tip that a white Nissan Quest with Texas plates would be passing through the area in a few hours transporting “a significant amount of narcotics,” the affidavit states.

In response, officers made their way to the southern state line on I-15 — as narcotics trafficking occurs most frequently from the south to the north, they said.

Approximately three hours after the initial tip, officers saw the vehicle crossing over the state line into Utah. According to the affidavit, when the driver of the vehicle saw the police cars, they slowed down rapidly.

Officers started following the vehicle, and said the driver “quickly activated the right turn signal and began to take the exit.” The vehicle then swerved back into the travel lane, failed to signal, drove under the speed limit, and failed to maintain its lane, the affidavit states.

Officers pulled the car over, and identified the driver as Jazmin Tentory-Ortega. The affidavit states her car was completely empty besides a dark duffel bag in the back seat. The officer’s K-9 sniffed the exterior of her car, which led officers to search the car.

Officers found 108,000 fentanyl pills, estimated to be worth $1,620,000, the affidavit states.

In an interview, Tentory-Ortega told officers she picked up the package in California but thought it was Botox. She then reportedly said she knew it was likely drugs or cash, the affidavit states.

Tentory-Ortega was booked into the Purgatory Correctional Facility on the previously mentioned charges.

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