$1.6M In Fentanyl Confiscated In Montco: DA

UPPER MERION, PA — An Arizona man was busted in Montgomery County with a massive amount of fentanyl with a street value of more than $1.6 million, authorities announced Friday.

Jorge Valdez-Rosas, 22, of San Luis, Arizona, was charged with possession with intent to deliver and related counts.

Officials said the fentanyl which Valdez-Rosas had on him when he was arrested amounted to 166,666 individual doses.

"By intercepting this delivery of fentanyl into our communities, we have saved countless lives by preventing significant fatal overdoses," Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said.

Authorities were tipped off to an international drug organization, also operational in Mexico, that planned to ship fenanyl to Upper Merion. Further investigation identified Valdez-Rosas as a suspect, and surveillance began on him at an Upper Merion hotel on Jan. 31.

Police said Valdez-Rosas arrived with a large duffle bag that night, and left the next morning, Feb. 1, carrying the bag. That's when police moved in and arrested him, the DA said.

The bag contained what authorities labeled a "very significant" quantity of fentanyl.

"This seizure and arrest thwarted the delivery of thousands of doses of deadly poison into the region’s drug supply," Liberty Mid-Atlantic High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Executive Director Jeremiah A. Daley said in a statement, praising the cooperative nature of the investigation which involved the county, the DEA, and Upper Merion.

Valdez-Rosas was booked at Montgomery County Correctional Facility after not posting $500,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is set for Feb. 15.