HAYWOOD COUNTY, Tenn. (WVLT) – About 16 pounds of fentanyl and “tranq” were found during a traffic stop involving a tractor-trailer that was traveling to Knoxville, according to the West Tennessee Violent Crime and Drug Task Force.
Agents were patrolling I-40 in Haywood County Tuesday morning when they saw a tractor-trailer traveling eastbound without due regard. After pulling over the semi, agents developed reasonable suspicion to deploy K-9 Pongo, who was assigned to the task force only two weeks ago. He quickly alerted them to the presence of narcotics in the trailer.
During the search, agents found a secret compartment that contained about 16 pounds of what field-tested positive as fentanyl and a 50 milliliter bottle labeled as Mexican manufactured Xylazine, also known as “tranq,” a horse tranquilizer commonly mixed in and sold with fentanyl. In total, the drugs found had a street value of nearly $500,000.
Investigators also determined the cargo was being shipped to Knoxville from Compton, California. The driver was cooperative with the investigation, and agents were able to rule out any complicity on their part…