Local
Lincoln County stop leads to federal drug charges after large seizure
A 26-year-old man faces federal charges after a traffic stop near Ash Springs led officers to seize about 677 pounds of suspected methamphetamine and 30 pounds of suspected fentanyl. The substances were found in vacuum-sealed packages inside 13 storage totes, according to a criminal complaint.
A traffic stop on U.S. Highway 93 near Ash Springs led to federal drug charges against a 26-year-old man after authorities found hundreds of pounds of suspected methamphetamine and fentanyl in his pickup, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court.
A Lincoln County sheriff’s deputy stopped Francisco Joel Garcia Farias on Oct. 13 after observing him driving above the speed limit, the complaint alleges. A narcotics-detection dog alerted during the stop, and officers searched the truck.
Investigators say they found 13 storage totes containing vacuum-sealed packages. The seizure included about 187 packages of a white crystalline substance weighing approximately 307.22 kilograms (677 pounds), and 13 brick-shaped packages weighing about 14 kilograms (30 pounds). Field tests on selected samples indicated methamphetamine and fentanyl, respectively.
Garcia Farias is charged with possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture containing methamphetamine and 400 grams or more of a mixture containing fentanyl. The charges are allegations; he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life imprisonment on each count, followed by five years of supervised release, according to the complaint.
Federal prosecutors described the seizure as evidence of the volume of illicit drugs reaching communities. The case followed a local traffic stop in rural Lincoln County, north of Las Vegas.