Kimberli Guadalupe Torres-Marin and Alexa Torres-Marin
Two sisters are accused of possessing hundreds of thousands of fentanyl-laced pills in Arizona.
The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office announced on Monday that a local grand jury indicted Kimberli Guadalupe Torres-Marin, 26, and Alexa Torres-Marin, 19. The two young women each face a count of sale or transportation of narcotic drugs.
Authorities say the sisters were in a vehicle headed toward Phoenix, Arizona. The vehicle allegedly contained more than 850,000 counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl and stored in duffle bags. Maricopa County deputies said they discovered those pills, however.
“Two out of five counterfeit pills that come across our border are laced with lethal doses of fentanyl,” County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said. “These drugs are being marketed to our youth in the most proliferous ways and are being produced in candy-like colors. We must hold those who bring these lethal pills into our community accountable.”
Prosecutors highlighted an event to take place Sept. 27 at Independence High School in the city of Glendale.
“On September 27, 2022 the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office is spearheading a community forum with experts on fentanyl to help educate parents and teens on the dangers of this drug,” the office said. “Fentanyl is highly addictive and can be lethal if even a small amount is ingested or smoked.”
Both sisters pleaded not guilty in an arraignment on Thursday, online records show.
Law&Crime could not immediately reach Kimberli Guadalupe Torres-Marin’s attorney for comment. The public defender’s office representing Alexa Torres-Marin did not immediately respond to a Law&Crime request for comment.
[Mugshots via Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office]