Police officers with the Lake County Sheriff’s Department Highway Interdiction / Drug Task Force on Wednesday seized 8,000 – 10,000 suspected fentanyl pills during a traffic stop on I-65.
Officers stopped 33-year-old Nigel Beach of Shelbyville, Kentucky, heading south near Lowell for windshield obstruction and a moving violation. While the driver was retrieving vehicle documents, officers observed suspected marijuana inside the vehicle.
Officers later found several plastic bags packed with suspected fentanyl pills on the floor of the vehicle. The Drug Enforcement Administration seized the pills.
Beach was taken into custody and is being held at the Jasper County Jail. Criminal charges are pending.
“I am extremely proud of our officers for confiscating such a significant amount of fentanyl, Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr. said in a press release. “As of this week the DEA has seized more than 29.7 million fentanyl pills nationwide, representing more than 139 million deadly doses. Every pill removed from our streets represents a life potentially saved. I commend the officers involved in this case for their diligence and commitment in the ongoing fight against the spread of opioids.”