On August 31, 2022, Navajo County Criminal Interdiction Unit conducted a traffic stop on Interstate 40 at milepost 252 near the Winslow area that resulted in two arrests. Lorenzo Antonio Romero Lopez (33) and Veronica Layva Montes (27), both of Phoenix, were arrested and booked into Navajo County Jail for two counts of Child Abuse, Transportation of Narcotic Drugs for Sale, Possession of Narcotic Drugs for Sale, and Possession of Narcotic Drugs.
During the traffic stop, Deputies became suspicious of criminal activity. A consent search of the vehicle revealed over 16 pounds of confirmed Fentanyl powder. The estimated street value of the drugs is nearly $661,000.00. The narcotic drugs were located under two young children’s car seats. The children were turned over to the Arizona Department of Child Services.
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), two milligrams of Fentanyl powder can be a lethal dosage. The amount found, according to those statistics, would be lethal to approximately 3,810,176 individual users.
Sheriff Clouse stated, “Great work by our Navajo County Interdiction team. Fentanyl is the one of the leading threats to the public and our youth. We are seeing more and more juveniles experimenting and overdosing from Fentanyl. Seeing these parents trafficking this poison in our communities with their children in the vehicle is abhorrent. NCSO is committed to doing our part to rid this from our communities. Please talk with your children on the dangers of Fentanyl.”