VAN BUREN COUNTY, Mich. (WLNS) — What started off as a traffic stop for a cracked windshield and improper lane use turned into something far more serious on Tuesday morning.
Michigan State Police troopers with the Hometown Security Team made the stop at around 9:40 a.m., on the eastbound lane of I-94 near mile marker 55 in Paw Paw Township.
According to police, troopers noticed “several indicators of criminal activity” and asked the driver, a 25-year-old from California, if they could search the car.
Troopers found 8.81 pounds, or 4 kilos, of fentanyl, wrapped individually by the kilo in heat-sealed bags.
Detectives also learned more information that led to the discovery of $30,000 cash and 4.41 more pounds, or 2 kilos, of fentanyl.
The driver was arrested and taken to the Van Buren County Jail for possession with intent to deliver more than 1,000 grams of fentanyl.
According to Michigan State Police, evidence showed that the driver was either allegedly transporting or smuggling fentanyl from California to Michigan.
Hometown Security Team members said that the amount of fentanyl found during the Tuesday stop was the largest amount of fentanyl ever found during a traffic stop in the state of Michigan.
“One kilo can produce approximately 500,000 fentanyl pills with a street value of approximately $1.5 million,” a statement from Michigan State Police said. “In total, this seizure will undoubtedly save lives, as it disrupted the distribution of around three-million fentanyl-laced pills with a total street value of $9 million.”
