STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. – Sterling Heights police found 20,000 fentanyl pills inside the hidden compartments of a vehicle and arrested a man and a woman who admitted they had entered the country illegally from Mexico to transport the drugs for a cartel, officials said.
Police chase
Officers said they saw a BMW with tinted windows heading north on Van Dyke Avenue near 14 Mile Road around 5:50 p.m. April 8.
When police tried to stop the BMW, it fled into a nearby subdivision, they said. The driver turned onto a dead-end road and got out to flee on foot, according to authorities.
He was arrested after a short foot chase, police said.
Fentanyl pills found in hidden compartments
Officials searched the car and discovered hidden compartments that contained 20,000 fentanyl pills, they said.
The pills were disguised as OxyContin prescription pills, according to police.
Officers also found 500 grams of powder fentanyl, they said.
The total street value for the narcotics was over $350,000, authorities said. They said the fentanyl could have led to the overdose and deaths of thousands of Michiganders.
Arrests
Police said the traffic stop led to the arrest of a man and a woman who admitted to being in the United States illegally from Mexico.
They also admitted that they were transporting the narcotics for a drug cartel, according to authorities.
Both are now awaiting felony charges and deportation, Sterling Heights police said.