Mohave County, Arizona — On Friday, January 24, 2020, an Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS) trooper stopped a vehicle on Interstate 15 just south of Littlefield. During the course of the stop, the trooper requested a Mohave County Sheriff’s Office Deputy to assist.
Cause was developed and a subsequent search revealed 362 pounds of methamphetamine with an estimated street value of $4.1 million.
The driver and passenger, wife and husband, were identified as 52-year-old Julie Jeannie Mason of Burlington, Iowa and 38-year-old Maurius Montez Mason of Peoria, Illinois. They were arrested for possession of a dangerous drug and transportation of a dangerous drug. The suspects were booked into Mesquite, Nevada Police Detention.
This is the largest, single meth seizure in AZDPS history.
Pinal County — Earlier the same day, a trooper working in the Casa Grande area stopped a vehicle on Interstate 10 near McCartney Rd. During a subsequent search of the vehicle, the trooper located 88 pounds of methamphetamine with an estimated street value of $998,000.
The driver and passenger, identified as 26-year-old Roxana Juarez and 22-year-old Jesus Valenzuela of Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, were arrested for possession of a dangerous drug. The suspects were booked into the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office Jail in Florence.