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PHOENIX - Roof shingle packaging was used to hide hundreds of fentanyl pills, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona said.
What we know:
On March 10, investigators with the DEA Phoenix East Valley Drug Enforcement Task Force (EVDETF) reportedly saw Carlos Rene Montes, 32, of Tucson drive an SUV into a Phoenix store's parking lot and park next to a pickup truck.
Montes reportedly spoke to Miguel Angel Sesma, 30, before he loaded "factory-sealed packages of roofing shingles from his vehicle to the bed" of the pickup truck.
Investigators say Sesma is a permanent resident from Mexico who is living in Arizona.
"After Montes left the parking lot, EVDETF investigators conducted traffic stops on both the Jeep Cherokee and Ford F250. A Mesa Police Department Canine Detective conducted an open-air sniff of the Ford F250 and alerted to narcotics in the vicinity of the truck bed. Investigators searched Sesma’s truck and seized approximately 52 kilograms (114 pounds) of blue M30 pills laced with fentanyl, which were concealed in the roofing shingles. Sesma and Montes were subsequently placed under arrest," a news release said.
A criminal complaint says Montes told investigators he had more drugs inside his Tucson home. When they conducted a consensual search, they reportedly found 32 pounds of blue M30 pills containing fentanyl.
In all, investigators claim they found about 700,000 pills containing fentanyl in the packaging and home.
What's next:
Montes and Sesma are accused of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute fentanyl. Investigators say each suspect could face 10 years to life in prison, as well as a fine of up to $10,000,000.