3 people found in possession of fentanyl worth $1.2M in Mesa, police say
Jul 9, 2024, 11:00 AM | Updated: 11:38 am
PHOENIX — Three people were found in possession of fentanyl pills worth $1.2 million in street value last week in Mesa, authorities announced Tuesday.
Officers responded to a welfare check in the parking lot on Rio Salado Parkway west of Country Club Drive around 10:30 a.m. on July 4, according to the Mesa Police Department. A caller reported seeing three people in a gold Cadillac, with a man slumped over in the driver’s seat.
Gabriel Rodriguez, a 26-year-old identified as the driver, got out of his car and attempted to run away when officers approached the vehicle. Two of the three officers on the scene chased and apprehended Rodriguez while one kept watch over the other two occupants, 38-year-old Julian Reyes and 24-year-old Sunflower Short.
The officer at the vehicle noticed several small blue pills throughout the interior and an exposed duffel bag containing several medium packages encased in packing tape.
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Police obtained a search warrant that revealed 58 unopened packages along with several smaller opened ones. In all, officers seized an estimated 750,000 blue M30 fentanyl pills weighing over 200 pounds.
Authorities said Reyes and Short were booked into jail for possession of narcotic drugs and drug paraphernalia.
Rodriguez sustained razor-wire cuts on his arm while trying to flee and was taken to a nearby hospital. Police said he will be booked for possession and transport of narcotic drugs for sale and possession of narcotic drugs.
