Photo courtesy of Navajo County Sheriff’s OfficeNCSO K-9 Kilo picked up the scent of drugs in a vehicle during a traffic stop, which were later found alongside the road after a suspect fled the scene.
Photo courtesy of Navajo County Sheriff’s OfficeNCSO K-9 Kilo picked up the scent of drugs in a vehicle during a traffic stop, which were later found alongside the road after a suspect fled the scene.

On Oct.10, the Navajo County Criminal Interdiction Unit conducted a traffic stop on Interstate 40 at milepost 300 near Goodwater, for civil traffic violations. Rafael Quihui Andrade, 29, of Phoenix was arrested for transportation of a narcotic drug for sale, possession of a narcotic drug for sale, possession of a narcotic drug and unlawful flight from a law enforcement officer, and Iracema Ramirez, 37, of Phoenix was arrested for transportation of a narcotic drug for sale, possession of a narcotic drug for sale and possession of a narcotic drug were arrested. Both were booked into Navajo County Jail and are each being held on a $1.5 million cash-only bond. During the traffic stop, both the driver and passenger were asked to step out of the vehicle. In a split second, Andrade ran to the driver’s seat and fled in the vehicle eastbound, leaving the female on the side of the road. The deputy then initiated chase eastbound after the suspects’ vehicle. The vehicle was located abandoned, north of Interstate 40 after exiting at milepost 303. A search of the surrounding desert resulted in Andrade being located hiding behind rocks. K-9 Kilo was walked around the vehicle to perform a free air sniff, where he alerted positive to the presence of drugs. A search of the vehicle revealed no illegal substance. MCAT detectives searched the area between the traffic stop and the location where the vehicle was found. Detectives located a duffle bag that contained 72,000 suspected fentanyl pills. The estimated street value of the narcotic drugs is approximately $1.4 million.