Between 8,000 to 10,000 fentanyl pills seized near Lowell
Police officers with the Lake County Sheriff’s Department Highway Interdiction / Drug Task Force seized 8,000 – 10,000 suspected fentanyl pills during a traffic stop on I-65 on May 21.
Officers stopped a 33-year-old driver heading south near Lowell for windshield obstruction and a moving violation. While the driver was retrieving vehicle documents, officers observed suspected marijuana inside the vehicle.
Police officers later found several plastic bags packed with suspected fentanyl pills on the floor of the vehicle.
The Drug Enforcement Administration seized the pills.
The driver is identified as Nigel Beach of Shelbyville, Kentucky. He was taken into custody and is being held at the Jasper County Jail.
Criminal charges are pending.
“I am extremely proud of our officers for confiscating such a significant amount of fentanyl,” Lake County Sherif Oscar Martinez Jr. said, “As of this week the DEA has seized more than 29.7 million fentanyl pills nationwide, representing more than 139 million deadly doses. Every pill removed from our streets represents a life potentially saved. I commend the officers involved in this case for their diligence and commitment in the ongoing fight against the spread of opioids.”