Tucson traffic stop yields $5.5M in fentanyl — more than 1 million pills

MARANA, Ariz. (KGUN) — Tucson police and members of the Southern Arizona Counter Narcotics Alliance (CNA) announced Wednesday that a traffic stop in the I‑10 and Cortaro area resulted in the recovery of what authorities described as more than 1 million fentanyl pills.

In a social media post, the Tucson Police Department said CNA members discovered roughly 245 pounds of fentanyl during a vehicle search — a quantity the department estimated has a street value of about $5.5 million. Police said the defendant in the case has pleaded guilty to multiple felony charges.

Officials emphasized that fentanyl remains a significant public‑safety concern for Tucson and that the department and partner agencies are committed to removing the drug from the community. The CNA, which coordinates investigations and interdictions across the region, handled the traffic stop and follow‑up investigation, according to police.

The seizure comes amid a series of fentanyl enforcement actions reported across the region this year. KGUN9 has documented several large busts in 2025: in June, Tucson police said they recovered more than 2,500 fentanyl pills in a Southside drug bust, as well as over 1,000 pills following a Midtown traffic stop.

KGUN9 also reported larger multi‑jurisdictional actions in the state this year — including investigations that led to seizures measured in the hundreds of thousands to millions of pills. In one case, federal authorities seized an estimated 700,000 pills linked to a Phoenix investigation. Also, in January, AZ Attorney General Kris Mayes announced the seizure of over 75 pounds of fentanyl at a residence in the Tucson area.

Public health experts and law enforcement warn that fentanyl — often pressed into counterfeit pills or mixed with other drugs — is highly potent and has been a key driver of overdose deaths nationwide. Police said the latest seizure will be forwarded to prosecutors and investigators for continued work on trafficking networks connected to the case.

Tucson police encouraged anyone with information about fentanyl distribution to contact CrimeStoppers or the department’s narcotics unit.

The Southern Arizona Counter Narcotics Alliance (CNA) is a multi-agency law enforcement task force that investigates and disrupts illegal drug trafficking operations. It operates as part of the Arizona High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (AZHIDTA) program. The CNA is composed of detectives, officers and agents from multiple federal, state and local agencies. Key participating agencies include the Tucson Police Department (TPD), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Pima County Sheriff's Department (PCSD) and Marana Police Department.