A New Jersey man is behind bars after state police said he was transporting approximately 40,000 stamp bags of suspected fentanyl on the Pennsylvania Turnpike through Westmoreland County, according to court papers.
Troopers said they pulled over a westbound Honda SUV in Hempfield at 2 a.m. Thursday after noticing multiple vehicle code violations. Police did not detail the alleged violations in court papers, but said the stop happened at mile marker 77.8.
Gerard Polanco Peralta, 34, appeared nervous during the stop, police said, and allowed investigators to search the SUV, adding he believed he was transporting an illegal substance.
Troopers reported finding a red bag containing about 40,000 stamp bags of suspected fentanyl. The approximate street value is $80,000, police said in court papers.
During an interview, the suspect told investigators he was trafficking an illegal substance in exchange for payment.
Peralta was arraigned Thursday on drug charges. He was denied bond. He was being held at the Westmoreland County Prison.
An attorney was not listed in court records. A preliminary hearing is set for Feb. 11.
Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid more powerful than heroin, has been the top contributor to drug overdose deaths in the region for the past several years. Fentanyl previously had been mixed with heroin and sold in stamp bags, but that has evolved into doses strictly of fentanyl typically cut with another powdery substance, authorities have said.
In Westmoreland County, fentanyl contributed to 474 drug overdose deaths from 2020 to 2024, according to coroner statistics. The intended destination of the drugs seized Thursday was not specified in court records.