Two people arrested after Whatcom deputies reportedly find 2,000 fentanyl pills in a car
The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested two people after a vehicle stop reportedly found they were transporting more than 2,000 suspected fentanyl-laced pills and 2.75 pounds of heroin into Whatcom County.
Gladys Penaloza-Criollo, 25 from Shoreline, and Segundo Galarza-Gutama, 27 of Seattle, were booked into Whatcom County Jail on Wednesday, Jan. 9, on suspicion of delivery of a controlled substance (fentanyl and heroin).
“Whatcom County is experiencing a surge in heroin and fentanyl abuse, with a related increase in overdoses and deaths,” Undersheriff Doug Chadwick said in a news release about the arrests. “The Sheriff’s Office continues to prioritize and focus on criminal enterprises who bring these drugs into our community. This arrest reflects the fruits of those efforts and the cooperation among law enforcement agencies participating in the Task Force.”
The sheriff’s office’s Criminal Interdiction Team stopped the vehicle that was connected to a Whatcom Gang and Drug Task Force investigation in southern Whatcom County, according to the release.
Detectives reported that Penaloza-Criollo and Galarza-Gutama were suspected to be en route from King County to Bellingham with the intent of selling narcotics to an undercover task force agent, the release states.
After receiving a warrant, a search of the car that Penaloza-Criollo was driving revealed the suspected drugs along with approximately $6,100 in cash, according to the release.
