Redding traffic stop leads to arrest, seizure of “significant” amount of fentanyl & cash
REDDING, Calif., — A local man was arrested after officers discovered he was in possession of a significant quantity of fentanyl during a traffic enforcement stop in Redding Tuesday, Aug. 24. The stop led to a search warrant the uncovered additional fentanyl, along with a large amount of cash.
Officials have since said that the stop that led to the arrest was not random and was part of an ongoing fentanyl sales investigation by Redding Police Department’s Neighborhood Police Unit, with assistance from the Shasta Interagency Narcotic Task Force (SINTF) and the Department of Homeland Security’s Regional Fentanyl Task Force.
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Officers from the Redding Police Department’s Neighborhood Police Unit teamed up with agents from Shasta Interagency Narcotic Task Force (SINTF) and the Department of Homeland Security Regional Fentanyl Task Force for a fentanyl sales investigation, Redding Police Department Neighborhood Police Unit Sergeant Timothy Renault has since said of Tuesday’s arrest and drug seizure.
During their targeted investigation, officials spotted a man, since identified as Kenneth Thomas Justus, 41, of Redding, leaving a downtown Redding motel and conducted a traffic stop of the suspect’s vehicle.
Authorities say a traffic stop in Redding led to the seizure of a significant quantity of fentanyl and cash. Redding PD photo.
Justus was found to be in possession of a significant quantity of fentanyl, leading NPU officers to author and serve a search warrant at the motel room where he was seen leaving.
“Inside the motel room officers located approximately a quarter pound of fentanyl and over $3,000 in cash,” said Renault.
Based on their investigation, officers arrested Justus and he was booked into the Shasta County Jail in Redding on suspicion of possession of fentanyl for sales, transportation of fentanyl and driving under the influence of drugs, according to the Renault; who said the total seizure of fentanyl was 137.8 grams GFW.
“According to the U.S Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), producing illicit fentanyl is not an exact science,” the Sergeant went on to explain. “Two milligrams of fentanyl can be lethal depending on a person’s body size, tolerance and past usage. DEA analysis has found counterfeit pills ranging from .02 to 5.1 milligrams (more than twice the lethal dose) of fentanyl per tablet.”
“NPU will continue to work with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to combat fentanyl and other illegal drugs in our community,” he continued.
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Anyone with information about this investigation or other criminal drug-related activities occurring in Redding is encouraged to contact Redding PD at (530) 225-4200. Callers can refer to incident file numbers 21R055530/21R055551 and can remain anonymous.
Contact the writer: [email protected]
Trevor Montgomery, 50, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS).
Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County-based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.
Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)
During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.
Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.
Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.