Nevada Traffic Stop Yields Over 700 Pounds of Suspected Fentanyl and Methamphetamine; Man Faces Federal Trafficking Charges
Francisco Joel Garcia Farias, 26, was stopped for speeding on U.S. Highway 93 near Ash Springs, Nevada, on October 13, after which a narcotics detection dog alerted to his vehicle. Authorities say a search uncovered approximately 14 kilograms of suspected fentanyl and 307 kilograms of suspected methamphetamine packed into 13 large storage totes. Garcia Farias now faces federal charges of possession with intent to distribute, carrying a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison on each count.
Single source · Not corroborated
A Lincoln County sheriff's deputy pulled over a pickup truck for speeding on a rural Nevada highway on October 13, setting off a drug seizure that federal prosecutors described as representing an extraordinary threat to public safety. After a narcotics detection dog alerted to the vehicle, deputies found 13 storage totes containing approximately 30 pounds of suspected fentanyl and 677 pounds of suspected methamphetamine — a combined haul exceeding 700 pounds, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Nevada.
Field tests on selected samples returned positive results for fentanyl and methamphetamine, respectively, prosecutors said. The combined haul carries an estimated street value of approximately $2 million, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Sigal Chattah stated that the 14 kilograms of fentanyl alone represented approximately seven million potentially lethal two-milligram doses — enough, by that estimate, to kill more than twice Nevada's population. Chattah said the quantities "reflect a blatant disregard for human life, driven purely by profit." Attorney General Todd Blanche said the seizure kept a potentially deadly drug supply off American streets and that anyone who plans to distribute fentanyl "will be prosecuted."