Four arrested after 13 pounds of fentanyl seized on I-70 | Local News

Four people from Los Angeles were arrested on Interstate 70 Friday morning after police discovered about 13 pounds of fentanyl, according to a news release from Indiana State Police Sgt. Matt Ames.

Christian Paz Recarte, 29, Hugo Rosales Moreno, 45, Katherine Navoarro, 22, and Kelin Morales Martinez, 29, all of Los Angeles, were arrested and charged with possession of narcotics and dealing a narcotic drug, both felonies.

At 10:53 a.m. state police pulled over a pickup truck for following too close and traveling too slow in the left lane of I-70 near the eastbound 53 mile-marker in Morgan County.

A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed a little more than 13 pounds of fentanyl. The estimated street value of the drug is $450,000 dollars.

Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that is similar to morphine but is 50 to 100 times more potent. It can cause respiratory distress and death when taken in high doses or when combined with other substances, especially alcohol.

Police said the seizure kept approximately 59,000 doses of this potentially lethal drug off the streets. The drugs were coming from California and destined for Ohio.