Pinal County Sheriff's Office K9 finds 1.8M in drugs during search
  • 4 years ago
Trying to deliver a massive drugstore by driving on a suspended licence proved a bad idea for this smuggler after being pulled over in a routine search. In one of the largest drug busts in recent years, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office found nearly USD 1.8 million in Methamphetamine, Heroin, and Fentanyl pills. The seizure happened when a K-9 deputy with a police dog conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle traveling west on I-10 near MM 196 shortly before 1 pm. The unit was working in partnership with the United States Border Patrol during Operation Stonegarden mission. The driver, identified as Rogelio Bustamante, had a warrant out of Nogales and was driving on a suspended license. Deputies found inconsistencies with Bustamante's story and had evidence to investigate further. During a search of the vehicle, deputies discovered dozens of drug bundles stashed all throughout the SUV. Deputies processed a total of 166 packages containing 54,840 Fentanyl pills, 124.8 pounds of Heroin, and 103.7 pounds of Meth. "These drugs represent a clear and continuing battle against the cartels and against drug addiction," said Sheriff Mark Lamb "Without a doubt, lives were saved by stopping these drugs from being scattered across our communities."