In less than a week, the California Highway Patrol seized nearly $1.7 million worth of fentanyl in two separate traffic stops on Interstate 5, including drugs hidden in packages of raw beef, Governor Gavin Newsom's office said.
Three out-of-state suspects were arrested in connection to the operations, which also led to the discovery of two illegally possessed firearms, the office said in a news release Tuesday.
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In the first stop, which occurred in Fresno County on Oct. 3, a canine unit alerted officers to narcotics hidden inside a cooler, the state said. Upon inspection, authorities found 11 pounds of fentanyl stuffed into packages of carne asada beef.
The fentanyl was valued at approximately $500,000, according to the Newsom's office. The suspect, a Washington State resident, was arrested on felony charges of drug possession and transportation.
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California officials said the following day, on Oct. 4 in Merced County, officers discovered two handguns and around 120,000 fentanyl-laced pills with an estimated value of $1.2 million. Two more Washington State residents were arrested on multiple felony counts.
“California continues the tough work to get deadly and illegal drugs off our streets,” Gov. Newsom said in a statement. “I am proud of the efforts by our CHP officers to help keep our community safe and hold drug peddlers accountable.”
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Newsom said the busts were part of California’s campaign to combat the fentanyl and opioid crisis.
The governor's office said his office has outlined initiatives that include doubling the number of service members who can intercept drug transports at checkpoints. They also launched a website to share the dangers of opioids and plan to "hold the opioid pharmaceutical industry accountable."
Since January, California’s National Guard Counterdrug Task Force has seized over 500,00 pounds of fentanyl powder and 9.6 million fentanyl pills, valued at over $43 million, the state reported.
