Lowell, IN – A Kentucky man was taken into custody following a routine traffic stop on Interstate 65 that led to the discovery of thousands of suspected fentanyl pills in northwestern Indiana.
According to the Lake County Sheriff’s Department, officers stopped a vehicle heading south near Lowell for a windshield obstruction on Wednesday. While the 33-year-old driver retrieved vehicle documents, officers reported observing suspected marijuana in the vehicle. A subsequent search uncovered multiple plastic bags containing an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 allegedly suspected fentanyl pills scattered on the vehicle floor.
The suspect, identified as Nigel Beach of Shelbyville, Kentucky, was arrested at the scene and transported to the Jasper County Jail. The Drug Enforcement Administration has since seized the suspected pills. Criminal charges against Beach are currently pending.
Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr. praised the officers involved in the seizure, highlighting the broader opioid crisis. “Every pill removed from our streets represents a life potentially saved,” Martinez stated. “The DEA has seized more than 29.7 million fentanyl pills nationwide this year, representing more than 139 million deadly doses.”
Authorities say the confiscated pills could have posed a serious threat to the public had they entered circulation, with fentanyl-related overdoses continuing to rise across the Midwest.
The investigation is ongoing, and officials have not yet confirmed the exact quantity or chemical composition of the pills pending further analysis.
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