HAYWOOD COUNTY, Tenn. (WATE) — A large amount of dangerous drugs bound for Knoxville was seized during a traffic stop in West Tennessee early Tuesday morning, according to the West Tennessee Drug Task Force.
Agents with the West Tennessee Violent Crime and Drug Task Force stopped a tractor-trailer on I-40 in Haywood County. When a K9 officer detected the presence of narcotics, a search of the vehicle led to the discovery of a secret compartment in the cargo.
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The hidden compartment contained 16 pounds of fentanyl. Agents also recovered a small bottle of Xylazine, a horse tranquilizer which is often mixed in or sold with fentanyl.
According to a press release from the task force, investigators learned that the cargo was being shipped to Knoxville from Compton, California. The release said that the driver cooperated with the investigation and agents do not believe they were complicit in the drug trafficking.
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The investigation remains ongoing as agents conduct forensic analysis of the packaging and electronics recovered from the scene…