Fleeing and Flinging Fentanyl Morphs into an 85 Mile-Per-Hour Pursuit
BLYTHE – When a mid-day traffic-enforcement stop initiated by Colorado River Station Special
Enforcement Team (SET) on 10/21/2021 at 1:56 PM – the vehicle refused to yield. As the vehicle
continued to fail to yield for the vehicle enforcement stop, SET observed two of the vehicle’s occupants
begin to fling suspected narcotics out of the windows and onto the route that had begun on westbound
Interstate 10 at Corn Springs Road.
The initiated pursuit morphed into a speed-chase clocked at 85 MPH. Eventually, the vehicle yielded on
I-10, just west of the Highway 177 Desert Interchange.
Suspects Seferino Benjamin Grajeda (43), of Burbank, CA, and Cesar Octavio Lopez Velazquez, (35), of
Medford, Oregon, were taken into custody without further incident. The mandatory vehicle search
revealed a firearm and additional narcotics.
“A search of the interstate was also conducted, and the discarded narcotics were recovered along with
additional items indicative of transportation of narcotics for sale and possession of narcotics for sale,”
said Sergeant Ed Reynoso. “Approximately 200 suspected fentanyl pills with an estimated street value
of about $4000.00 were recovered.”
As a result, Grajeda and Velazquez were arrested, then booked at the Blythe Jail on the following
charges:
Possession of a Controlled Substance While Armed
Possession of an Unregistered Firearm
Possession of a Narcotics for Sales
Transportation of Narcotics for Sales
Felony Evading/Reckless Driving
Felon in Possession of a Firearm
Felon in Possession of Ammunition
Accessory After the Fact
Conspiracy to Commit a Crime
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department declared a zero-tolerance policy for these offenses. Anyone
with additional information is urged to contact the Special Enforcement Team at the Colorado River
Station (760) 921-7900.
