Deadly Opioid Stash Found In Puyallup Connected To Mexican Cartel

PUYALLUP, WA - Federal authorities arrested a California man on Wednesday in connection to a large stash of deadly drugs found in Puyallup in August. Daniel Guerrero, 28, of Palmdale, Calif., was arrested in Nogales, Ariz., and authorities say he was ready to distribute opioids and methamphetamine in the Puget Sound area on behalf of a Mexican drug cartel.

In August, police found 11 kilograms of fentanyl, one kilogram of heroin, and 12 pounds of methamphetamine in a rented minivan parked at a Puyallup apartment complex. Fentanyl is an extremely powerful synthetic opioid that can be up to 50 times more powerful than heroin. Fentanyl is also responsible for a spike in drug overdose deaths in the U.S.

"Twenty four pounds of fentanyl hitting the streets of Tacoma and Seattle would have been my worst nightmare," DEA Special Agent Keith Weis said in a statement. "The size of this shipment is extremely alarming because of the potential number of lethal doses and the deadly consequences it could have for those afflicted by opioid dependency."

Guerrero was going to sell the drugs for $350,000, according to the U.S. Attorney's office in Seattle. Guerrero is being held in jail in Arizona pending his next court appearance.

File photo via Seattle police