Police K-9 sniffs out 86,000 fentanyl pills in Barstow; Two Arizona men jailed

A police dog sniffed out 86,000 fentanyl pills, or about 20 pounds of the deadly drug, during a traffic stop in Barstow early Tuesday, authorities said.

Two Arizona men were arrested.

The bust took place just after 3:40 a.m., when an officer pulled over a car for vehicle code violations in the area of the 15 Freeway and Barstow Road, according to the Barstow Police Department.

During the traffic stop, an officer deployed his K-9 partner, Bailey, to check for drugs, police said in a written statement. The dog soon alerted that drugs had been detected.

A search of the car turned up roughly 86,000 fentanyl pills, officials said.

The driver, identified as Jesus Castaneda, 27, and passenger Daniel Quevodo, 21, both of Phoenix, Arizona, were arrested, according to police. They were booked on suspicion of drug possession and transportation of drugs for sales.

Anyone with information was asked to contact Barstow Police Department Sgt. Matthew Helms at (760) 256-2211. Information may also be submitted anonymously to the We-Tip hotline at (800) 782-7463.

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Anyone with information regarding this investigation may contact Sergeant Matthew Helms at (760) 256-2211 or at [email protected]. Those wishing to remain anonymous may also provide information by calling the WE-TIP hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME (27469) or by going to www.wetip.com.

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Barstow police K-9 sniffs out 86,000 fentanyl pills; AZ men jailed