Nearly 900,000 fentanyl pills seized in Orange County drug busts

SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. (KABC) -- Nearly 900,000 fentanyl pills are out of circulation thanks to two busts by Orange County sheriff's deputies and California Border Patrol.

The Vehicle Interdiction Pipeline Enforcement Resource (VIPER) Task Force made the seizures last month, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Department.

In the first bust on Sept. 12, deputies stopped a driver on the 5 Freeway in San Clemente. They found more than 442,200 fentanyl pills, along with significant qualities of fentanyl powder, methamphetamine and cocaine.

A week later on Sept. 19, border agents stopped another driver in the same location and found 447,100 fentanyl pills in the trunk of the car.

The drivers in both incidents were arrested.