On August 24, 2022, 26-year-old Kimberly Guadalupe Torres-Marin and her 19-year-old sister, Alexa Torres-Marin, were on their way to Phoenix, when their car was stopped by authorities at a traffic stop. After a quick search, the Maricopa County sheriff’s deputies were surprised to find around 850,000 counterfeit fentanyl-laced pills, hidden inside duffle bags in the car.
The two young women are charged with the sale or transportation of narcotic drugs, classified as a Class 2 felony.
With the state’s growing fentanyl problem, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office will conduct a community forum at Independence High School in Glendale. The event, where experts on the subject are invited to speak, aims to disseminate information and raise awareness in both parents and their children regarding the effects of the drug. This will happen on September 27 at 6 p.m.
Not all rainbow-colored packages are good for you.
According to the authorities, drugs are being sold to youth in very creative ways. One way is in the form of rainbow candy pills. County Attorney Rachel Mitchell added that “two out of five counterfeit pills that come across our border are laced with lethal doses of fentanyl.”
Aside from colorful pills, fentanyl is also sold in powder form.
Fentanyl is said to affect the body in various ways. It is more powerful than the drug morphine and causes feelings of intense ecstasy, relaxation, pain relief, among others. Side effects include dizziness, vomiting, respiratory depression, and confusion. Mostly produced in Mexico, the drug is mainly used to help cancer patients and those who have chronic pain, but when abused, it may lead to death.
The US Customs and Border Protection Director for the Port of Nogales, Arizona shared that their office was able to seize approximately 400,000 fentanyl pills last weekend alone. There were around 30,000 candy-colored pills and 152 pounds of methamphetamine.