SACRAMENTO, Calif. – A 30-year-old Washington man is facing felony charges after California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers discovered fentanyl hidden inside raw carne asada during a traffic stop. In a social media post, CHP noted the irony of the suspect’s license plate, which read “GOTBEEF.”
The arrest occurred on Oct. 3 in Fresno County, following a traffic stop on Interstate 5. According to a press release from California’s governor, a CHP canine officer detected narcotics in a cooler inside the vehicle. Officers found 11 pounds of fentanyl stuffed into the raw beef, with an estimated street value of $500,000.
The man now faces multiple felony charges, including possession of fentanyl for sale and transportation of fentanyl across non-contiguous counties.
The following day, CHP officers made another major fentanyl bust on Interstate 5 in Los Banos. CHP says a canine officer discovered approximately 120,000 fentanyl-laced pills during a traffic stop. The pills, worth an estimated $1.2 million on the street, led to the arrest of two additional suspects from Washington, both of whom now face multiple felony charges.