362 Pounds Of Meth Valued At $4.1M Seized In Arizona Traffic Stop

LITTLEFIELD, AZ — Arizona authorities seized a record 362 pounds of methamphetamine with an estimated street value of about $4.1 million in a traffic stop Friday, the state Department of Public Safety said Monday.

A husband-and-wife team — Marius Montez Mason, 38, of Peoria, Illinois, and Julie Jeannie Mason, 52, of Burlington, Iowa — were arrested and face charges of possession of a dangerous drug and transportation of a dangerous drug, police said. They are in police custody in Mesquite, Nevada.

A state trooper stopped their vehicle on Interstate 15 just south of Littlefield and requested assistance from the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office, a news release said.

The meth seizure was the largest in the state’s history, authorities said.

Earlier in the day Friday, authorities said they seized 88 pounds of meth with an estimated street value of $998,000 after a trooper made a traffic stop in the Casa Grande area.

The driver and the passenger — 26-year-old Roxana Juarez and 22-year-old Jesus Valenzuela, both of Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, were arrested, and each faces a charge of possession of a dangerous drug.

They were booked at the Pinal County Jail in Florence.