Two Arizona women were arrested this this week in a traffic stop turned drug bust.
According to AZFamily, the incident reportedly took place at around 5:30 p.m. Monday on Interstate 10 near Casa Grande, a small city located approximately 50 miles away from Phoenix. Officers say they pulled over a black SUV that was speeding, and identified the driver as 31-year-old Martha Lopez. Thirty-year-old Tania Luna Solis and two children were also identified as passengers.
At some point during the traffic stop, officers discovered half a million fentanyl pills hidden in bottles that were labeled as collagen supplements. Officers say they also found a firearm and “a large amount of U.S. currency” in the vehicle. Authorities say a police K9 helped uncover the contraband.
Lopez and Solis were subsequently arrested and booked into the Pinal County Adult Detention Center. The Casa Grande PD says the two juveniles were placed into the Department of Child Safety’s custody.
Solis’ mother, who asked not to be identified, spoke to FOX 10 about her daughter’s arrest, claiming Solis had been spending a lot of time with Lopez and making frequent trips to Mexico.
“Why didn’t she think about us and her children? I have a lot of things to tell her,” the mother said. “Why did you put us in this problem? You didn’t have any need for this. She had everything that she needed.”
Lopez and Solis are now facing multiple charges, including possession, transportation, and importation of narcotic drugs for sale; misconduct involving weapons; and child endangerment.
“The transport and sale of drugs in our community affects us all,” Casa Grande Police Chief Mark McCrory said in a statement. “It is hard to quantify the number of lives this investigation has saved, but I am sure we are making a difference. Our Officers are combating this issue daily and I commend their efforts, especially knowing our K9 who was recently bitten by a rattlesnake is already back in full service.”
