A United States citizen is facing federal felony charges after police say he allegedly tried to smuggle more than seven kilos of fentanyl into the country inside a Crock-Pot full of meat.
Jose Armando Longoria, 27, is facing charges of possession of 400 grams or more of fentanyl with intent to distribute after being caught with kilos of fentanyl while trying to enter the U.S., court documents obtained by USA TODAY say.
Court records say that border officers at the Dennis DeConcini Port of Entry in Nogales, Arizona, on June 18 stopped Longoria while he tried to enter the country on foot.
Officers asked Longoria why he was entering the country only carrying a Crock-Pot, to which the man said he was “bringing meat.” Court records say that once the officer lifted the pot and noticed it was heavier than expected, Longoria was sent to a secondary inspection area.
Once there, court records say that a drug-sniffing dog detected drugs inside the pot and officers then disassembled the pot and found 11 bags of blue pills that later tested positive for fentanyl.
According to court records, Longoria said that a person had paid him $100 to cross the container to the U.S. Longoria’s next court appearance is set for July 7 in Tucson, Arizona.
Longoria’s public defender did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment on Tuesday, June 24.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Man accused of smuggling fentanyl in Crock-Pot into US: Police
