NORTH AUBURN -- A traffic stop earlier this week led to the seizure of tens of thousands of fentanyl pills in Placer County.

On August 29, a Placer County Sheriff's K-9 deputy conducted a traffic stop on eastbound Interstate 80 at the Maple Street exit, in North Auburn when K-9 Ruger, who is certified in narcotics detection, alerted his handler to the driver's side of the vehicle that was pulled over. 

Upon a search of that area, the deputy located five aluminum foil-lined packages that were vacuum sealed with plastic, according to the Placer County Sheriff's Office. 

The deputy observed parts of the packages that exposed blue-green M30 tablets, commonly known as fentanyl pills. During the investigation, the deputy determined each package contained approximately 10,000 tablets weighing about 12 pounds – which amounted to an estimated 50,000 fentanyl pills total, the department reported.

The driver, 27-year-old Brigido Lopez-Beltran, and passenger, 32-year-old Joaquin Mardueno, were both arrested for possession and sale of narcotics.