PHOENIX, Ariz. – A massive fentanyl bust in Phoenix has left two men facing serious charges. Carlos Rene Montes, 32, a United States citizen from Tucson, and Miguel Angel Sesma, 30, a legal permanent resident from Mexico living in Phoenix, were charged on March 10, 2025 with Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Fentanyl.
According to the criminal complaint, agents seized a combined total of approximately 700,000 blue M30 pills from Sesma’s truck and Montes’ residence. The pills were found concealed in factory-sealed packages of roofing shingles.
On March 10, 2025, DEA Phoenix East Valley Drug Enforcement Task Force investigators observed Montes drive a Jeep Grand Cherokee into a Phoenix store parking lot and park next to a white Ford F250 bearing Sonora license plates. After speaking briefly with Sesma, the driver of the Ford F250, Montes transferred the roofing shingles from his vehicle to the bed of the Ford F250.
After Montes left the parking lot, investigators conducted traffic stops on both the Jeep Cherokee and Ford F250. A Mesa Police Department Canine Detective conducted an open-air sniff of the Ford F250 and alerted to narcotics in the vicinity of the truck bed. Investigators searched Sesma’s truck and seized approximately 52 kilograms (114 pounds) of blue M30 pills laced with fentanyl.
Sesma and Montes were subsequently placed under arrest. During a consensual search of Montes’ residence, investigators seized approximately 14.68 kilograms of blue M30 pills containing fentanyl.
Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute More than 400 grams of Fentanyl carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years to life in prison and a fine of up to $10,000,000.
Montes advised investigators that he possessed more drugs at his residence in Tucson. According to the criminal complaint, the investigation was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration East Valley Drug Enforcement Task Force, which is comprised of partners from the Mesa Police Department, the Gilbert Police Department, the Apache Junction Police Department, the Salt River Police Department, and the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney, Stuart Zander, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.
Carlos Rene Montes and Miguel Angel Sesma are presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
CASE NUMBER: 25-MJ-6099-PHX-ASB
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-033_Montes et al.
Related Federal Cases
- Glen Adam Romero, Jr., Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl, Arizona 2023 · Washington
- Angel Adan Valenzuela, Conspiracy to Import and Distribute Narcotics, Arizona 2023 · Maryland
- Keivin Crosswell-Cervantes, Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl and Methamphetamine, Arizona 2024 · Alabama
- Angel Valencia-Avendano, Fentanyl Trafficking, Arizona 2023 · Arizona
- Angel Daniel Miranda-Contreras, Importation of Fentanyl, Arizona 2022 · Colorado
Key Facts
- State: Arizona
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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