Another $2.5 million worth of the illegal and deadly fentanyl pills are off the streets of Phoenix.

According to a release, the Phoenix Police Department, working as part of a Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force, seized another 137,000 fentanyl pills Thursday, Jan. 30.

The investigation started earlier this month when authorities learned of a man in Phoenix supplying local drug traffickers with large quantities of fentanyl pills.

Once they developed enough information, the task force, led by a Phoenix police sergeant, other officers, and an air unit, stopped Alexis Meza, 20, in his car near 24th Street and Thomas Road.

Police said they found 122,000 fentanyl pills in the vehicle. When authorities went to his apartment near Indian School Road and 43rd Avenue, they found a large quantity of methamphetamine, fentanyl pills, cocaine, and marijuana. Members of the Gun Squad also responded when officers found numerous guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition inside the home.  

In all, the task force seized:

• 3 kilograms of Fentanyl
• 38 pounds of Methamphetamine
• 1 pound of Marijuana
• $5,000 cash
• 7 Handguns
• 2 Rifles
• Ammunition
• 4 vehicles

Mr. Meza was booked into the Fourth Avenue Jail on various drug charges.

His arrest comes on the heels of one of the largest fentanyl busts in Arizona. Last week, Marcelino Ontiveros Quintero, 24, was pulled over with approximately 165,000 of the blue “M-30" fentanyl pills in his car.

The drug problem is impacting the lives of people in and around the Phoenix area, police stated.  Earlier this week, a report from the Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office determined that an Arizona State University student found dead in his dorm room in November died from a mix of drugs, including fentanyl. The day after that report was released, another ASU student was found dead of a possible drug overdose.

If you or someone you know needs help with a substance abuse problem, reach out to the National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).