Federal authorities in Arizona have arrested a man accused of mailing 25 pounds of Carfentanil—one of the deadliest opioids in existence—to Alabama, according to WBRC.
Nineteen-year-old Ignacio Miguel Tirado-Castillo was indicted in May on charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a fentanyl analogue and attempt to distribute a fentanyl analogue. He now faces prosecution in Alabama after a federal judge ordered him extradited and held without bond, ruling he posed a flight risk.
Carfentanil, a synthetic opioid originally developed to tranquilize elephants, is not approved for human use. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration warns it is about 10,000 times more potent than morphine and 100 times stronger than fentanyl. Because it is a white, powdery substance, Carfentanil can be easily mistaken for other drugs such as cocaine or fentanyl, but its lethality far exceeds nearly any opioid found on the street.
Court filings state that prosecutors believe Tirado-Castillo is connected to firearms trafficking in Mexico and has ties to Mexican cartel members. They also noted that he is not a legal U.S. citizen.
In addition to the Alabama case, Tirado-Castillo faces federal charges in Nebraska for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a fentanyl analogue. That case, filed in March, was originally scheduled for trial on August 18 but has since been continued. If convicted on the charges against him, Tirado-Castillo could receive a life sentence in federal prison.
The investigation was led by the Alabama Homeland Security Task Force with assistance from the U.S. Postal Service, Birmingham Police Department, and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
Sherri Blevins is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You may contact her at sherri@yellowhammernews.com.
