62-year-old arrested after deputy finds half a million fentanyl pills hidden in flat-pack furniture
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EAGLE COUNTY, Colorado — Authorities in Colorado say what began as a routine traffic stop led to the seizure of 500,000 fentanyl pills and the arrest of a 62-year-old woman.
The Eagle County Sheriff’s Office said a deputy assigned to the Gore Range Narcotic Interdiction Team Task Force (GRANITE) was patrolling on Thursday, May 21, when he spotted a white Toyota Corolla with Arizona license plates committing “several” traffic violations on Interstate 70.
During a traffic stop, “the driver’s behavior and the deputy’s observations” prompted further investigation, though the sheriff’s office did not describe the behavior in question.
A search of the trunk revealed multiple boxes of flat-pack furniture. Packaged “within the furniture,” the deputy found approximately 500,000 suspected fentanyl pills weighing a total of 111 pounds.
Photos shared by the sheriff’s office show deputies prying open what appears to be flat panels of the type used for shelving or cabinetry. Bags of pills, pressed flat, can be seen within the panels.
The driver, identified as 62-year-old Mirna M. Valenzuela of Mesa, Ariz., was arrested on felony charges of unlawful distribution of a controlled substance, unlawful possession of a controlled substance, and special offender. She was booked into the Eagle County Detention Facility, where she was being held on a $100,000 bond.
The sheriff’s office is asking anyone with information about the case or the suspect to call the Eagle County Sheriff’s Office at (970) 328-8500, or submit an anonymous tip to Eagle County Crime Stoppers at www.p3tips.com.