Border Patrol busts Tolleson male and female passenger with 17 pounds of fentanyl

TUCSON — Two U.S. citizens were arrested Tuesday for the transportation of 17 pounds of suspected fentanyl by Blythe Station Border Patrol agents at the Highway 78 immigration checkpoint.

Agents working the checkpoint with a K-9 referred the vehicle, driven by a 29-year-old man from Tolleson,  or secondary inspection at approximately 5:30 p.m., said a Customs and Border Protection news release.

Agents found seven packages of suspected fentanyl, weighing a total of about 17.5 pounds,  in the rear floor compartment.

The driver had previously been convicted for the transportation of 22 pounds of cocaine. The female passenger was a 32-year-old U.S. citizen. The driver is facing charges of a transportation of a controlled substance.