California Drug Busts Net Big Hauls of Fentanyl, Other Narcotics

From Northern California to the Mexico border, law enforcement officers made several recent arrests and seized fentanyl-laced pills, marijuana, guns, and ammunition during multiple incidents, officials announced.
A CHP officer and Sacramento County sheriff’s detective stopped a car in October for a routine traffic violation when the detective’s canine picked up the scent of narcotics, the CHP wrote Friday on Facebook.
The canine’s alert prompted a vehicle search that turned up over 66 pounds of M30 pills, which are made with fake medicinal ingredients, according to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
“For perspective, the DEA reports it only takes a few milligrams of fentanyl to be deadly,” the CHP wrote in the social media post. “With enough pills in this seizure to create between 10 to 15 million lethal doses, it’s an amount that could kill a quarter of the population of California.”
The driver from Washington state, whom authorities did not name, was arrested and booked into Yolo County jail just west of Sacramento.
The arrest was part of CHP’s work with a task force that includes the sheriff’s office and the Placer County District Attorney’s Office to curb drug trafficking along highways.
The operation targeted street-level drug dealers who were allegedly distributing fentanyl and other drugs by using online marketplaces and social media.
Officers and deputies from Sacramento County, Citrus Heights, El Dorado County, Placer County, the CHP, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security used undercover accounts to arrange drug deals.
The 15 people arrested were formally warned that if any drugs containing fentanyl resulted in death, they could be charged with murder.
The suspects arrested in the operation included Kyle Rexford, of Sacramento; Khallie Coyne, of Rancho Cordova; David Finichu, of Roseville; Amanda Sablan, of Sacramento; Jeffrey Arneson, of Folsom; Justin Blair, of El Dorado Hills; Alejandro Riuz, of North Highlands; Danny Moore, of Sacramento; Madisyn Higgins-Husk, of Sacramento; Terrence Carpenter, of Citrus Heights; Taylor Lynch, of Folsom; Hayden Boungnasiri, of Citrus Heights; John Navarro, of Cameron Park; Haley Grimmett, of Sacramento; and Yamni Clarin, of Rescue.
Most of those arrested have been released on bail or on their own recognizance, meaning they were not required to post bail, according to the sheriff’s department.
Law enforcement seized more than $15,000 in cash, hundreds of pills, and other drugs, including cocaine and methamphetamine.
Detectives also recovered nearly 350 grams of fentanyl, about 172,000 lethal doses, twice the number of people living in Folsom, according to the sheriff’s department.
The drugs, guns, and ammunition were found while officers conducted a series of enforcement operations.
The officers seized nearly 400 pounds of marijuana, one AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle, one semiautomatic pistol, 50 rounds of 9-millimeter ammunition, two high-capacity pistol magazines, and two high-capacity rifle magazines.
The marijuana, firearms, magazines, and bullets were encountered in five incidents, but all were heading for international destinations, according to the Border Patrol.
All suspects were turned over to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for further investigation.
“The results of these enforcement operations at the San Diego International Airport illustrate our commitment to safeguarding communities and the traveling public,” said Mariza Marin, the port director for the San Ysidro Port of Entry, who oversees airport operations.