Man arrested for smuggling Fentanyl

A 29-year-old Tolleson, Ariz. man was arrested Tuesday at the Border Patrol Highway 78 checkpoint after more than 17 pounds of suspected fentanyl was allegedly found inside his vehicle.

David M. Torres was taken into custody at 10 p.m. Tuesday at the checkpoint by DEA agents and booked into county jail without bail on suspicion of manufacturing or distribution of a controlled substance, county Sheriff’s Office arrest records stated.

According to a federal court complaint, a human and narcotics detector dog alerted to Torres’ vehicle as it passed the through the checkpoint Tuesday.

Torres, along with a female passenger, and his vehicle were referred to secondary inspection.

During secondary inspection, a dog alerted to the trunk and the underside of Torres’ vehicle, a Dodge Journey, near the back seat.

Upon searching the vehicle, a Customs and Border Protection agent found a factory storage compartment located on the passenger side in the back seat under multiple floor mats.

The agent discovered three individually wrapped vacuum-sealed bags. Upon further inspection, the agent discovered four more packages in another similar factory compartment on the driver’s side

The packages weighed 17.485 pounds.