Two men have been charged with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, most of which were hidden in roof shingle packages.

Carlos Rene Montes, 32, of Tucson and Miguel Angel Sesma, 30, a legal permanent resident from Mexico living in Phoenix, were charged last week with conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute fentanyl, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Arizona.

Agents with the DEA Phoenix East Valley Drug Enforcement Task Force seized about 700,000 blue M30 pills from Sesma’s truck and Montes’ residence, a release stated.

On March 10, task force investigators saw Montes drive a Jeep Grand Cherokee onto a Phoenix store parking lot and park next to a Ford F250 bearing Sonora license plates, according to a criminal complaint.

After speaking briefly with Sesma, the driver of the Ford F250, Montes transferred factory-sealed packages of roofing shingles from his vehicle to the bed of the Ford F250.

Montes left the parking lot, and investigators conducted traffic stops on both the Jeep Cherokee and Ford F250.

A Mesa Police Department “canine detective conducted an open-air sniff of the Ford F250 and alerted to narcotics in the vicinity of the truck bed,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office release stated.

Investigators searched Sesma’s truck and seized approximately 114 pounds of blue M30 pills laced with fentanyl. The pills were concealed in the roofing shingles, and Sesma and Montes were placed under arrest.

Montes told investigators he had more drugs at his residence in Tucson. Approximately 32 pounds of pills containing fentanyl were found during a consensual search of Montes’ residence, authorities said.

 Conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years to life in prison and a fine of up to $10 million.

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