CHP officers seize nearly $2 million worth of fentanyl, some hidden inside of raw beef

Nearly $2 million worth of fentanyl was seized by police in less than a week in California's Central Valley in early-October, some of which they say was disguised inside of packaged raw beef. 

According to California Gov. Gavin Newsom's Office, California Highway Patrol officers conducted two traffic stops on the I-5 Freeway last week, which lead to the seizure of 120,000 fentanyl-laced pills and 11 pounds of fentanyl. The estimated street value of the haul is $1.7 million. 

The first incident happened on Oct. 3, when officers stopped a suspect in Fresno County on I-5. During the stop, an officer was "alerted to the presence of narcotics in a cooler in the vehicle," according to the release. 

Inside, they found multiple packages of carne asada beef, which was being used to conceal 11 pounds of fentanyl. They say that it was worth approximately $500,000. 

The suspect, only identified as a man from Washington state, was arrested and booked on felony charges of possession of fentanyl for sale and transportation of fentanyl across non-contiguous counties. 

On top of the drugs seized by officers, several illegally possessed firearms were also recovered. 

The next day, Oct. 4, a CHP canine officer made a different traffic stop on I-5 in Los Banos, located in Merced County. The stop resulted in the seizure of nearly 120,000 fentanyl-laced pills as well as two handguns. 

Investigators say that the estimated street value of the pills is around $1.2 million. Two suspects, also from the state of Washington, were arrested and charged with multiple felonies, the governor's office said. 

"Throughout the state, California continues the tough work to get deadly and illegal drugs off our streets," Gov. Newsom said in a statement. "I am proud of the efforts by our CHP officers here to help keep our community safe and hold drug peddlers accountable."

Since Jan. 2024, Cal Guard's Counterdrug Task Force has seized more than 5,000 pounds of fentanyl powder and 9.6 million pills containing fentanyl, worth an estimated $43 million. The increase in seizures comes after Gov. Newsom decided to expand the task force, doubling the amount of service members.