ST. GEORGE — Two suspects from Colorado are being held without bail following a traffic stop on Interstate 15 that netted more than 5,066 grams of pure fentanyl tablets — an amount of illicit drugs that the Drug Enforcement Administration says is enough to kill millions of people.
According to the probable cause statements filed in support of the arrests, the case stems from a traffic stop that took place on the morning of Jan. 10 in Washington County.
The stop was initiated after a Washington County Sheriff’s deputy noticed a Jeep Cherokee with Colorado license plates heading north on Interstate 15, where the SUV reportedly crossed over into the adjacent lane of travel.
During the stop, the deputy deployed his K-9 to conduct a free-air sniff around the exterior of the vehicle, and when the animal indicated to the possible presence of narcotics, the SUV was searched.
As deputies were going through the Jeep, they allegedly located a large quantity of suspected fentanyl pills described as round blue pills labeled with an “M” on one side and the number “30” on the opposite side.
“Based on my training and experience, I know these pills to be counterfeit pills containing pure fentanyl,” the deputy noted in the probable cause statement.
The two occupants, 21-year-old Jesus Guadalupe Navarro-Perez and 47-year Veronica Marquez-Franco, both residents of Rifle, Colorado, were detained while agents from the Washington County Drug Task Force and Department of Homeland Security were dispatched to the scene.
During an interview with agents, both occupants allegedly said they were aware the narcotics were in the vehicle, and the pair was subsequently transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility in Hurricane where they were booked into jail on second-degree possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and misdemeanor possession of paraphernalia.
According to the report, the pair has family ties to Sinaloa, Mexico, as well as Denver, Colorado, and both were being held without bail.
Perez was scheduled for a bail reduction hearing Tuesday, while Franco appeared in court the following day. Both remain in jail in Washington County at the time of this report.
According to the DEA, one kilogram of fentanyl has the potential to kill more than 500,000 people, meaning the 5.1 kilograms of the narcotic allegedly found with the suspects could potentially kill more than 2.5 million people.
This report is based on statements from court records, police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.
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