(The Center Square) – Southern Arizona continues to see major busts of illicit drugs.
Two separate incidents in Yuma and Tucson on June 6 resulted in 138 pounds of drugs including fentanyl and methamphetamine by Arizona Department of Public Safety troopers, according to a news release.
In Yuma, 38.6 pounds of fentanyl in the form of pills were confiscated by troopers, in which the drugs were found in a spare tire, resulting in the arrest of a suspect.
The Tucson seizure had 100 pounds of meth, but it also resulted in the confiscation of $8,050 and multiple firearms, according to the news release. DPS said there were two suspects in that incident who were charged with transportation and possession of a “dangerous drug for sale.” Instead of a vehicle search like the Yuma incident, this seizure was part of a “residential search warrant” being served, the news release added.
Illicit drug trafficking is considered a common issue at the southern border, especially fentanyl. The Center Square reported that United States Customs and Border Protection agents seized hundreds of thousands of pills in Nogales in May alone, enough to kill an estimated 28.5 million people. Oftentimes, these pills are found hidden in parts of vehicles when discovered by law enforcement.
Border policy will play a specific role on the November ballot for Arizona voters, as a provision in the “Secure the Border Act” or House Concurrent Resolution 2060 would make the sale of deadly fentanyl a class two felony with an increase of the minimum and maximum sentence by five years. The most notable part of the proposition would be to make illegal border crossings a state crime as well.
