On Wednesday, October 5, 2022, an Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS) trooper initiated a traffic stop on the driver of a black Ford sedan on Interstate 8 eastbound at milepost 16, near Yuma.

During the traffic stop a vehicle search was conducted, and troopers located 52 pounds of suspected fentanyl pills and 16 pounds of suspected fentanyl powder concealed in the sedan’s fuel tank.

The driver, 21-year-old Michelle Gonzalez Rodriguez, a resident of Mexicali, Mexico, was arrested and booked into the Yuma County Jail on charges including possession and transportation of narcotic drugs for sale.

The passenger, 20-year-old Dayanara Gonzalez Rodriguez, a resident of Hemet, CA, was also arrested and booked into the Yuma County Jail on charges including possession and transportation of narcotic drugs for sale.

The suspected fentanyl was being smuggled from Mexicali, MX, to the Phoenix area.