Fentanyl pills, powder worth $5 million seized from gas tank of SUV

NEW YORK — Authorities in New York City discovered 300,000 fentanyl pills and more than 11 pounds of fentanyl powder inside the gas tank of a vehicle on Sunday.

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According to a news release from the New York City Special Narcotics Prosecutor’s Office, agents found the pills, which were contained in fake oxycodone pills, in a red Ford Expedition that was stopped in the Bronx.

The gas tank was accessible from the rear floor of the vehicle, WNYW-TV reported. The pills and powder were discovered inside vacuum-sealed packages, according to the television station.

Enrique Perez, 44, of Columbus, Ohio, was arrested and charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, according to the news release. Bail was set at $200,000 during an arraignment hearing Monday evening.

“At a time when our city’s overdose rates are at a record high, the discovery of more than eleven pounds of powdered fentanyl and hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills manufactured to look like prescription pills, concealed in the gas tank of a truck near the Bronx Court House, is truly alarming,” New York City special narcotics prosecutor Bridget Brennan said in a statement. “We will continue to work with our partners to seize deadly drugs before they ever hit the streets.”

After conducting an investigation, officials believe the fentanyl may have originated in Mexico, WNYW reported. The investigation found that the Ford had crossed the U.S.-Mexico border multiple times, according to the television station.

The results of Drug Enforcement Administration laboratory analysis on the narcotics seized are pending, officials said.

“Thanks to this investigation, hundreds of thousands of dangerous pills were taken off the streets of the Bronx,” Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark said in a statement. “These fake oxycodone pills containing fentanyl would have ruined so many lives and would have likely killed many.”