$1.2M worth of fentanyl seized in Mesa, 3 arrested
MESA, Ariz. - Three people were arrested in connection to a large drug bust in Mesa.
The incident happened just before 10:30 a.m. on July 4 near Country Club Drive and Rio Salado Parkway.
Mesa Police say someone called 911 saying the driver of a gold Cadillac appeared to be unconscious and slumped over. When officers got to the scene, the driver of the Cadillac, 26-year-old Gabriel Rodriguez, allegedly ran away.
Officers ran after Rodriguez, who was taken into custody and hospitalized after police say he cut his arm on razor wire while trying to escape.
Two other people inside the Cadillac, 38-year-old Julian Reyes and 24-year-old Sunflower Short, were also arrested.
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Police say small blue pills were scattered throughout the car. A partially opened duffle bag containing several small packages wrapped in tape was also in the vehicle.
"After obtaining a search warrant, officers located 58 packaged bundles (over 200lbs) and two to three smaller opened bundles inside the vehicle," police said. "The packages contained approximately 750,000 M30 blue pills of illicit fentanyl, street valued at $1.2 million."
Reyes and Short were booked into jail and are accused of drug charges. Rodriguez remains in the hospital, but police say he also faces drug charges.