A cunning smuggler for a Mexican cartel has been caught with 300,000 fentanyl-laced pills and almost 5kg of powdered fentanyl in the tank of his SUV in New York City.
Authorities said Enrique Perez, 44, was pulled over near Yankee Stadium in The Bronx while driving his red Ford Expedition on Sunday, April 30. He was stopped as part of a joint city, state and federal investigation into cartel drug traffic, the city's special narcotics prosecutor said in a press release.
The investigation was carried out while Drug Enforcement Administration agents were carrying out surveillance as part of a short-term investigation. There was initially confusion after a K9 unit sniffed out drugs in the car, with the officer struggling to find the stash.
But an inspection of Perez's phone allegedly revealed photos of bundles of cash along with what seemed to be hidden access to the car's tank from inside the vehicle. Upon searching, agents found the tank was, in fact, accessible from the rear floor area.
Vacuum-sealed bags were uncovered, where police said they found a stash of fake blue oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl along with 11 pounds (4.99kg) of powdered fentanyl - all thought to have come from Mexican cartels. All in all, authorities said the drugs had a street value of around $5 million.
In a statement, Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget Brennan said: "At a time when our city's overdose rates are at a record high, the discovery of more than 11 pounds of powdered fentanyl and hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills manufactured to look like prescription pills, concealed in the gas tank of a truck near the Bronx courthouse is truly alarming."
Perez, of Columbus, Ohio, was driving the Ford which had Texas registration plates, and was pulled over driving along East 161st Street just after 1.30pm on Sunday, April 30. Investigators discovered the SUV had crossed the US-Mexico border "multiple times".
"This seizure demonstrates one of the many ways evil drug cartels like the Sinaloa cartel smuggle fentanyl from Mexico to major cities like New York for street distribution," said Frank Tarentino, special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) field office in New York.
He continued: "While we hit the accelerator on our enforcement efforts, the cartels go to extremes to conceal illicit drugs in implausible spots like the gas tank of a vehicle."
Bronx District Attorney Darcel D Clark said: "Thanks to this investigation, hundreds of thousands of dangerous pills were taken off the streets of the Bronx. These fake oxycodone pills containing fentanyl would have ruined so many lives and would have likely killed many.
"This seizure happened during a car stop near my office, courts, and a busy commercial area. I commend the Special Narcotics Prosecutor's Office and their law enforcement partners for this investigation. These lethal drugs have no place in our communities."
Perez was charged with first and third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. He was arraigned on Monday, May 1, at Bronx Criminal Court and is being held at Rikers Island on a $200,000 bail.
The bust was the joint effort of the special prosecutor's office, the DEA, the NYPD, the Bronx District Attorney's Office and the New York Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Strike Force.
