A routine evening outside a Rohnert Park Walmart turned into a major drug bust when plainclothes officers arrested a 36-year-old man and seized hundreds of suspected fentanyl-laced pills, along with methamphetamine and a meth pipe, authorities said.
The arrest happened on the evening of Tuesday, March 24. Police identified the suspect as Christopher J. Hernandez, who was booked into the Sonoma County jail.
How public safety says the arrest unfolded
According to the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety, plainclothes officers were running a proactive operation around 7:30 PM when they spotted a man collecting petition signatures in front of the Walmart. A short time later, officers said they watched him walk behind a nearby business and smoke what they believed was methamphetamine.
When officers contacted Hernandez, they searched him and his belongings and reported finding roughly 350 suspected counterfeit oxycodone pills believed to contain fentanyl, as well as meth and a meth pipe. As noted by SFGATE, police said Hernandez first gave a false name before they were able to positively identify him.
Why counterfeit pills are so dangerous
Counterfeit tablets made to look like oxycodone, often stamped “M30,” are frequently laced with illicitly manufactured fentanyl, a synthetic opioid far more potent than heroin or morphine and potentially deadly in tiny amounts…