Two southern California women were arrested in Kern County after a CHP K9 officer found approximately 10 pounds of suspected fentanyl powder in their vehicle during a traffic stop. (Instagram/CHP Central Division)
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Authorities arrested two southern California women in Kern County after a California Highway Patrol K9 officer discovered approximately 10 pounds of suspected fentanyl powder in their vehicle CHP Central Division reported on its Instagram account.
The bust occurred Friday at 4:05 p.m. when a CHP K9 officer from the Central Valley unit stopped a 2017 Honda Accord for a traffic violation on northbound Interstate 5 and State Route 223 in Bakersfield.
During the traffic stop, the K9 officer observed several signs of potential criminal activity, authorities said. After obtaining consent to search the vehicle, the officer uncovered a hidden compartment in the dashboard containing about 10 pounds of suspected fentanyl powder, estimated to be worth over $454,000.
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The driver, Nieli Lugo, 30, and the passenger, Victoria Olivas, 23, were arrested. The case was handed over to the Kern County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Initiative, which includes members from the California Department of Justice, CHP, Kern County Probation Department, Kern County District Attorney’s Office, Kern County Sheriff’s Office, and Bakersfield Police Department.
Lugo and Olivas were booked into the Kern County Jail on charges of possession of fentanyl for sale and transportation of fentanyl across noncontiguous counties.