PHOENIX (AZFamily) — A Valley man and a Mexican man in the U.S. illegally face charges for trying to deal tens of thousands of fentanyl pills following a shootout with Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents in Phoenix, prosecutors said Thursday.
Eduardo Valenzuela Lopez, 33, of Sonora, Mexico and Jael Gonzalez Banuelos, 22, of Phoenix, were charged by criminal complaint with conspiring to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. Both men made their first court appearances Wednesday.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the pair agreed to sell 50,000 fentanyl pills and were heading to the buyer on Tuesday when DEA agents moved in to stop them around 10 a.m. in the area of 67th Avenue and Van Buren Street.
Investigators said Lopez started shooting at the officers, who returned fire. No one was hit or hurt. Both men were arrested and agents said they found a gun near the car and seized the 50,000 pills from the glove box.
Because there were so many pills, Lopez and Banuelos could face at least 10 years, and potentially the rest of their lives, in prison if convicted.
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