Over $4 Million Worth of Meth, Fentanyl Found Hidden in RV's AC Unit

A Phoenix man was recently arrested after border officials discovered over $4 million worth of fentanyl and methamphetamine hidden within an air conditioning unit inside his RV.

The incident occurred on Monday when border officials stationed at the Port of Lukeville, which is located on the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona, encountered the 47-year-old man attempting to gain entry back into the U.S., according to a press release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

While attempting to enter the country, CBP officers conducted a preliminary check of the individual's 2008 Roadmaster RV, but eventually referred the man for a secondary inspection. During the inspection, officers used a canine unit that is trained to detect the scent of illegal narcotics.

"Following a positive alert by a CBP narcotics detection canine to a scent it is trained to detect, the search led to the discovery of 129 packages of drugs hidden within the roof mounted A/C unit," CBP said in the press release.

The 129 packages included nearly 880 pounds of methamphetamine and over 110 pounds of suspected fentanyl. CBP said that the combined drugs were worth nearly $4.4 million.

Following the discovery of the hidden drugs, the driver was arrested by officers and turned over to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations. The man's vehicle and the drugs found inside were seized by CBP officials.

"Our CBP officers remain focused on their mission of protecting our nation's borders and keeping dangerous drugs from reaching our communities," Port of Lukeville Director Peter Bachelier said in the press release.

The discovery of fentanyl throughout the U.S. has continued to increase in recent years. According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), fentanyl is a controlled substance that has similar effects as morphine, but is nearly 100 times stronger.

"Fentanyl is being mixed in with other illicit drugs to increase the potency of the drug, sold as powders and nasal sprays, and increasingly pressed into pills made to look like legitimate prescription opioids," the DEA said in a fact list about fentanyl. "Two milligrams of fentanyl can be lethal depending on a person's body size, tolerance and past usage. DEA analysis has found counterfeit pills ranging from .02 to 5.1 milligrams (more than twice the lethal dose) of fentanyl per tablet."

Last year, officials completed over 80,000 different drug seizure events across all borders entering the U.S. According to data from CBP, over 600,000 pounds of narcotics were seized during these different events.

In January, CBP officers stationed at the Hidalgo Port of Entry along the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas, intercepted over $1.5 million worth of methamphetamine, cocaine and fentanyl in three different incidents.

Newsweek reached out to CBP for further comment, but did not receive a response in time for publication.