On Wednesday, August 10, 2022, Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS) detectives arrested one suspect and seized 35.7 pounds of fentanyl pills near State Route 101 and Chandler Boulevard, in Chandler, following a drug trafficking investigation.

The suspect, 30-year-old Braulio de Diego, of Mesa, was arrested and booked into the Maricopa County Jail on charges including possession of a narcotic drug and possession of a narcotic drug for sale. Detectives located 35.7 pounds of fentanyl – approximately 150,000 pills – in his vehicle. The street value of the pills is estimated at over $525,000.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations assisted AZDPS with this investigation.