Significant Fentanyl Seizure
January 15, 2023 – On Friday, January 13th, 2023, detectives from the Sheriff's Border Crime Suppression Team were conducting narcotics interdiction in the northern portions of San Diego County. At about 7:30 a.m., a detective observed a 2012 Chrysler 300 exceeding the posted speed limit. A traffic stop of the speeding vehicle was conducted on Interstate 5 near Camp Pendleton.
The vehicle's driver, Alberto Jose Partida, was found to be a resident of Tijuana, Mexico. During the stop, Partida appeared nervous and provided deceptive answers to the detective. A Sheriff's canine, Milo, conducted a sniff of the vehicle and alerted to the odor of narcotics. During the subsequent search, 32 packages of counterfeit Oxycodone pills were found in the car's fuel tank. The packages contained an estimated 240,000 pills.
These types of pills, commonly known as "M30's" or "Blues" are typically smuggled into the United States from Mexico and are known to contain lethal dosages of fentanyl. During the 12-month period ending in August of 2022, the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimated more than 107,000 Americans died from narcotic related overdoses. Fentanyl's pervasiveness has impacted communities throughout our country. This seizure and others like it continue to save individual families from the loss of loved ones to accidental overdoses.
Partida was arrested and booked into the Sheriff's Vista Detention Facility for transporting controlled substances with enhancements for possession of over 24 kilograms of the narcotic.
Source & photo: San Diego County Sheriff’s Department
