Federal Way woman arrested in record-setting fentanyl bust in California

Driver and passenger found transporting $3M worth of pills.

A Federal Way woman and a Seattle man were arrested in the largest fentanyl bust in Central Valley, California history, according to the California Highway Patrol (CHP).

Around 4:15 p.m. Jan. 14, a Volkswagen Tiguan was pulled over for speeding along northbound I-5 near Russell Avenue in Central Valley. The CHP officer noticed several indications the two people in the car were partaking in criminal activity, the agency wrote in a Jan. 21 social media post.

Beny, a CHP K9, sniffed out the Volkswagen and discovered the scent of narcotics, according to the police report.

A search of the Volkswagen revealed approximately 75 pounds of counterfeit Oxycodone, which was believed to contain fentanyl, according to CHP. The highway patrol said the street value of the found pills is about $3 million.

“K9 Beny is one of the best K9s we have in the state of California,” said Officer Eric Zuniga, CHP public information officer. “He’s an awesome dog, a hard worker. He loves to work. He’s out there every day.”

Approximately 2 pounds of fentanyl has the power to kill 500,000, according to CHP.

The male driver and the 27-year-old female passenger were arrested on charges of possession of narcotics for sale and transporting narcotics across non-contiguous counties, according to the police report.

The Mirror does not name suspects until they have been charged in court.

The fentanyl bust is the largest in the Central Valley’s history, the agency said.

Photo courtesy of the California Highway Patrol
Photo courtesy of the California Highway Patrol

Photo courtesy of the California Highway Patrol Photo courtesy of the California Highway Patrol