Mexico Resident Arrested in California for Allegedly Carrying 90 Pounds of Fentanyl Pills in Car

Fentanyl-laced sky blue pills known on the street as "Mexican oxy" in a file photo. Drug Enforcement Administration via AP

A U.S. citizen living in Mexico was arrested May 14 after officers discovered over 90 pounds of fentanyl pills in her car during a traffic stop in California’s Coachella Valley, the U.S. Attorney’s office said.

Adriana Galindo, 34, who had been residing in San Luis Río Colorado, Mexico, was set to appear in federal court Thursday in the U.S. District Court in Riverside following her arrest on charges of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, prosecutors said May 16 in a statement.

Her residence in the U.S. was not disclosed and a request for that information was not immediately returned by authorities.

If convicted, she faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years up to a maximum sentence of life imprisonment in federal prison.

During a routine stop on Interstate 10 in Indio—about 25 miles southeast of Palm Springs—Border Patrol agents intercepted a 2015 black Chevrolet Malibu driven by Ms. Galindo—who allegedly told agents that she and her juvenile son were en route to Los Angeles to buy clothing for a store in Mexico, authorities said.

Ms. Galindo agreed to a search of her vehicle, during which a trained narcotics K-9 detected the presence of narcotics, prosecutors said.

According to the statement, officers initially found a blue pill in the car suspected to be fentanyl, prompting the seizure of the vehicle for further search at a nearby Border Patrol station.

As a result, about 93.3 pounds of fentanyl pills were discovered in a non-factory compartment under the car’s front seats, prosecutors said.

Ms. Galindo was subsequently arrested, while her son was released into the custody of his aunt, who lives in California.

The Drug Enforcement Administration and United States Border Patrol are investigating the case.