Police in western Colorado came away from a high-speed chase on Friday with 48 pounds — about 220,000 pills — of fentanyl, officials said.
A Mesa County Sheriff’s Office deputy was attempting a traffic stop on a vehicle at around 6:20 a.m. near Fruita when the driver took off “at a high rate of speed,” a press release from Sheriff Todd Rowell states.
After chasing the vehicle for a short time, the deputy was forced to end the pursuit due to “safety reasons” before a Colorado State Patrol trooper deployed stop sticks near mile marker 22 on Interstate 70 in an attempt to disable the runaway driver.
Despite the tires on the car being flattened by the device, the vehicle reportedly continued speeding down I-70 before taking Exit 19 into Fruita before stopping near the intersection of West Pabor Avenue and fleeing on foot.
After another short chase, the suspect “peacefully” surrendered to Mesa County deputies, Colorado State Patrol troopers, and Fruita Police Department officers.
Upon searching the vehicle, the sheriff reported that deputies discovered 48 pounds of fentanyl pills, which “equates to about 220,000 pills.”
The suspect was later identified as Levyn Angulo-Ayala, 21, who has been hit with charges including vehicular eluding and possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.
Angulo-Ayala was remanded to the Mesa County Detention Facility following his arrest, the sheriff’s office added.