Major Fentanyl Bust on I-40: Texas Couple Arrested with 85 Pounds Hidden in Vehicle

Shelby County, TN— On the evening of March 10th, 2024, agents from the West Tennessee Violent Crime and Drug Task Force of the 30th Judicial District in Memphis conducted a traffic stop on a 2024 Toyota Tacoma with Florida registration, traveling eastbound on I-40 due to a traffic violation.

During the stop, law enforcement agents developed reasonable suspicion to employ a narcotics canine around the vehicle. Upon receiving a positive alert for the odor of narcotics, the agents proceeded to search the vehicle, discovering 38.5 kilograms (85 pounds) of Fentanyl concealed within bags of fertilizer and folded inside a tent placed within a tent bag. Ernesto Ortiz, 42, and Maria Munoz-Arevalo, 25, from Humble, TX, were arrested on charges of delivering a Schedule II controlled substance and are currently held at the Haywood County Jail under a $5,000,000.00 bond. The wholesale value of these drugs is approximately $1m, while the street value could approach nearly ten times that amount. The investigation is ongoing.

“Fentanyl can be deadly with as little as 2.0 milligrams able to cause an overdose. The CDC website shows Tennessee to be ranked 2nd among overdose deaths in the United States in 2021 at 56.1 people per 100,000,” said Drug Task Force Director Johnie Carter.

The West Tennessee Violent Crime and Drug Task Force is comprised of full-time officers assigned from agencies within the 28th, 29th, and 30th Judicial Districts. These districts encompass Shelby, Haywood, Crockett, Gibson, Dyer, and Lake counties in west Tennessee and operate through agreements between District Attorneys Mulroy, Agee, and Goodman.