Authorities in Orange County recently pulled over two cars loaded with hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills in two separate busts in the same spot on the 5 Freeway, the sheriff’s department announced this week.
In the first case, officers with the Orange County Sheriff’s Highway Interdiction Team pulled over a driver in northbound lanes near Basilone Road near the U.S. Border Patrol station and Camp Pendleton on Sept. 12.
“The driver was transporting approximately 442,240 fentanyl pills, 2.4 pounds of fentanyl powder, 22.9 pounds of methamphetamine, and 7.9 pounds of cocaine,” the Orange County Sheriff’s Department posted on social media.
The driver was booked into jail on drug trafficking charges.
A week later, on Sept. 16, California Border Patrol agents stopped another driver in the same location and found roughly 447,100 fentanyl pills packed in trash bags in the trunk of his car.
He was also booked into jail on drug trafficking charges.
The busts were part of a joint task force known as VIPER, which stands for Vehicle Interdiction Pipeline Enforcement Resource.
Its mission is to “identify, disrupt and arrest” drug traffickers who frequently use the 5 Freeway and other Southern California highways to move drugs throughout the region, often coming from Mexico.
“Great work by the deputies and agents who work diligently to effectively disrupt the flow of narcotics into Orange County and keep our communities safe,” the sheriff’s department said.