Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Nevada police sweep picks up ton of illicit marijuana, other drugs

A weeklong multi-jurisdictional operation along Interstate 15 this month on the Moapa River Indian Reservation yielded more than 2,100 pounds of illicit drugs worth about $11.6 million, Nevada State Police said.

The drug bust, which occurred between May 6 through May 12, resulted in the largest seizure of illegal marijuana in NSP history, according to a release. The operation consisted of officers from NSP, the Bureau of Indian Affairs Division of Drug Enforcement, the Moapa River Indian Reservation Police Department, Metro Police, Henderson Police and other federal agencies.

“This operation helped us identify drug, human, and sex trafficking activities that occur daily along Interstate 15 through the Moapa River Indian Reservation,” acting Moapa Tribal Police Chief Jeff Harper said in the release.

According to the release, the agencies searched 57 vehicles and conducted 219 traffic stops which resulted in the seizure of three handguns and the following narcotics:

2,093.8 pounds of marijuana, worth approximately $8.1 million

36.16 pounds of fentanyl, worth approximately $2.3 million

28.83 pounds of cocaine, worth approximately $1.2 million

0.05 pounds of heroin, worth approximately $3,670

0.04 pounds of methamphetamine, worth approximately $2,136

On May 9, MSP troopers and BIA agents conducted a stop of a rental truck on I-15 within the reservation’s boundaries, in which police discovered 72 large bags of marijuana, according to the release. Two suspects, Tahmir Debman and Hariz Purvis, were arrested and booked at the Clark County Detention Center on counts of felony marijuana trafficking, police said.

“The Nevada State Police takes great pride in having multi-agency partnerships working together to keep illegal substances off our roadways and out of our communities,” NSP col. Pat Conmay said in the release. “We are committed to the unified mission to keep Nevada safe.”