ST. GEORGE, UTAH — Two people were arrested as the Police officers found 11 pounds of fentanyl pills in their car when they stopped them during a regular traffic check.
Veronica Marquez-Franco,47 and Jesus Guadalupe Navarro-Perez,21 have been charged with possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, a second-degree felony, and use or possession of drug paraphernalia, a class B misdemeanor.
Reportedly, their Jeep Cherokee with Colorado license plates exited its lane of travel in Washington County, when they were pulled over.
When the officers were doing their job, a K-9 “alerted to the odor of narcotics within the vehicle”. They searched the vehicle and found pills they identified as “counterfeit pills containing pure fentanyl.”
They have connections to Mexico, Sinaloa and Colorado, and they could leave the country.
The couple was booked into Washington County Jail on Jan.10 and the Police have requested the two to be held without bail.
Homeland Security and the Washington County Drug Task Force also responded after the pills were found, court records indicate.
During a court hearing on Friday, the prosecutor told a judge that federal prosecutors plan to pursue the case in U.S. District Court.
