The Coconino County Sheriff鈥檚 Office (CCSO) arrested two people on Monday, May 19, for allegedly trafficking fentanyl.
According to a CCSO press release, the department鈥檚 canine unit conducted a traffic stop near the intersection of Interstate 17 and Newman Park Road around 8 p.m. Monday evening. A subsequent search of the vehicle by canine 鈥淒ex鈥� led to the discovery of approximately 7.84 pounds of suspected fentanyl -- around 35,000 individual pills, CCSO estimated.
CCSO identified the driver and passenger of the vehicle as Jose Nidome-Chavez, 30, and Carmen Ramirez-Acosta, 28. Both were booked into the Coconino County Detention Facility on charges of transporting narcotic drugs for sale, a Class 2 felony in Arizona, with bond set at $20,000.
The sale or transportation for sale of more than 200 grams (approximately half a pound) of fentanyl carries a mandatory sentence of five to 15 years in state prison, or 10 to 20 years if the offender has previously been convicted of the same crime.