8,000 Counterfeit Pills Made with Fentanyl Seized in Arizona

Source: Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office

AZ Central reported on the arrest of two men and the seizure of approximately 8,000 counterfeit fentanyl pills by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO). MCSO officials said that the two men, Octavio Gutierrez-Hernandez and Jorge Bazan, were booked into their jail on possession of narcotic drugs for sale and conspiracy. Police believe that Gutierrez-Hernandez and Bazan belong

The arrests came as a result of a five-month-long investigation that Fox10 Phoenix reported also involved the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Phoenix Police. Detectives with the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area and the Maricopa County Drug Suppression Task Force were able to identify a group selling large quantities of narcotic drugs in the area. The pills were seized from multiple locations, including a storage unit. Along with the pills, police seized $10,000 and a handgun.

You can read the MCSO’s press release about the arrests and seizure on their website. Arizona is just one of the many states hit hard by fentanyl across this country. During 2017, DEA agents in Arizona seized over 120,000 counterfeit fentanyl pills. You can learn more about counterfeit drug incidents in Arizona here.