Mexican man, in country illegally, caught with 100,000 fentanyl pills, MS Coast police say

Mona Moore
·1 min read
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A routine traffic stop in Gulfport turned into a case for the U.S. Border Patrol and Drug enforcement agency Tuesday afternoon.

Sonora, Mexico, resident Francisco Antonio Castillo Mendoza was charged with aggravated trafficking of a controlled substance after being pulled over for careless driving on Highway 49 in Gulfport. The incident happened at around 11:30 a.m.

Interdiction Sergeant Chris Sexton conducted the traffic stop in the parking lot of Domino’s Pizza.

“As Sgt. Sexton approached the driver, he noticed behavior indicative of criminal wrongdoing,” said Harrison County Sheriff Matt Haley.

Sexton requested a K9 unit to the scene. Deputy David Oliver and narcotics detection canine Anubus responded and conducted an open-air sniff of the vehicle.

The team discovered a cardboard box in the rear cargo area of the white Volkswagen SUV. The box contained several packages of “suspected fake pills” that turned out to contain 100,000 pills containing fentanyl.

“A further inquiry on the driver revealed that he was in the country illegally,” Haley said.

Law enforcement placed a detainer for immigration violations on Mendoza and charged him with aggravated trafficking of a controlled substance. He was booked in the Harrison County Jail and is being held in lieu of a $100,000 bond, but is not bondable due to the immigration detainer.