A routine traffic stop in Camp Verde led to a major drug seizure after a Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office K9 detected approximately 70,000 fentanyl pills inside a vehicle carrying two small children, authorities said Tuesday.
Deputies pulled the car over on Nov. 19 near Middle Verde Road and Interstate 17, about 90 miles north of Phoenix. After K9 Radar alerted handlers to possible narcotics, deputies searched the vehicle and found the pills hidden inside.
Two adults — including the driver, Jose Urquianeriz — were taken into custody. Two children under the age of six were also inside the car at the time of the stop.
Urquianeriz was booked on multiple felony counts, including possession, sales and transportation of narcotic drugs, along with child abuse.
Yavapai County Sheriff David Rhodes said the seizure prevented a significant amount of fentanyl from reaching the community and emphasized the danger posed by alleged trafficking activity occurring with young children in the vehicle.
The investigation remains ongoing.
