More than $500,000 worth of drugs found in traffic stop on I-10 in Gulfport
A traffic stop on I-10 in Gulfport led to the arrest of a Mexican national allegedly transporting nine kilograms of fentanyl in his vehicle.
The street value of the drugs, which were in powder form, is approximately $540,000, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Jose Gilberto Rodriguez-Hernandez, 32, was pulled over on I-10 when Border Patrol Agents recognized him as a known illegal alien who had previously been removed from the United States, according to court documents and a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi.
During the traffic stop, the agents found nine kilogram bricks of fentanyl.
Rodriguez-Hernandez was charged Monday with possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
The CDC says cases of fentanyl-related overdose are linked to illegally made fentanyl, which is distributed through illicit markets for its heroin-like effect. “It is often added to other drugs because of its extreme potency, which makes drugs cheaper, more powerful, more addictive and more dangerous,” the CDC reports.
U.S. Attorney Todd Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi and Eric DeLaune, acting special agent in charge of Homeland Security investigations in New Orleans, announced Monday’s arrest.
Homeland Security and the United States Border Patrol are investigating the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Erica Rose is prosecuting.
This story was originally published October 24, 2023 at 2:18 PM.
