Deputies stopped a truck for speeding on Oct. 13. Lincoln County Sheriff Derek Foremaster said the driver’s account of his travels raised suspicions. The driver, 26-year-old Francisco Joel Garcia Farias, was heading north from Las Vegas through Lincoln County toward Idaho, Foremaster said.

A second deputy brought a drug-detection dog to the scene. The dog alerted to the vehicle, authorities said.

Foremaster described the seizure as the largest in Lincoln County’s history and said it may rank among Nevada’s largest single drug seizures by weight. U.S. 93, a two-lane route through rural eastern Nevada, can appeal to traffickers seeking to avoid busier roads such as Interstate 15, he said.

Garcia Farias was arrested and faces two federal charges alleging possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl. Federal prosecutors say each charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison if he is convicted. He is in federal custody; Homeland Security Investigations is assisting with the case.

The seizure highlights the role of small departments in efforts to intercept drugs moving through rural communities. Foremaster said a local business donation helped make the sheriff’s department’s K-9 program possible. Deputies conduct interdiction operations at varying times, he said, responding both to suspected trafficking through the county and drug purchases made by local residents elsewhere.

Fentanyl is a potent synthetic opioid that can be fatal in small amounts and may be mixed into other drugs or counterfeit pills without a user’s knowledge. Naloxone, also known by the brand name Narcan, can reverse an opioid overdose. Health experts advise calling 911 and administering naloxone if available when an overdose is suspected; emergency medical care remains necessary.