Mesa County sheriff’s officials arrested a man Wednesday who told police he was transporting drugs to pay off a debt to a “coyote” who smuggled him into the United States.
Carlos Fernandez-Marquez, 35, of California, was arrested after police found about 50,000 fentanyl tablets and 1.3 kilograms of heroin in his car.
According to the arrest affidavit, officers stopped Fernandez-Marquez at mile marker 17 as he was traveling eastbound on Interstate 70 between Loma and Fruita for crossing the right fog line twice.
In the affidavit, police said Fernandez-Marquez presented a Venezuelan ID and consented to a voluntary search of the vehicle.
According to the affidavit, police found drugs, including suspected fentanyl and heroin, in a shopping bag in the trunk of the Toyota Prius driven by Fernandez-Marquez.
According to the affidavit, the weight of the pills seized was approximately 50,000 pills, plus three pounds of suspected heroin.
Fernandez-Marquez was arrested and questioned by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
“During this interview, Fernandez-Marquez stated he was transporting the drugs to Denver to pay the ‘Coyote’ who helped him get into the United States,” the affidavit states. “He stated this was his fifth trip transporting drugs across the country and he was ‘paying off’ his debt, earning $5,000 against his debt for each trip.”
Fernandez-Marquez was charged with trafficking fentanyl and heroin and importation of fentanyl and heroin. He is being held at the Mesa County Detention Center on $50,000 bail.
