Two women have been arrested in what authorities have called the largest heroin bust in Murfreesboro and one of the largest in Tennessee.
According to investigators, Rosalinda Vallejo and Elizabeth Castillo were taken into custody Saturday night at the Comfort Suites on Thompson Lane.
Five kilos of heroin was recovered – making it the largest bust in Murfreesboro Police history.
The investigation was a joint operation involving the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Murfreesboro Police Department.
Vallejo and Castillo, both of whom are from Colorado but originally from Mexico, were charged with felony possession of heroin. Both were held on a $1 million bond.
This bust comes as law enforcement reports a dramatic spike in heroin use in Tennessee.
“Herion is reemerging in communities through the state and nation as a terrible drug that destroys lives and families,” said Interim Chief Mike Bowen. “The Murfreesboro Police Department in cooperation with other law enforcement agencies is committed to the prosecution of drug related crimes as we continue to bring awareness to our community.”
New laws cracking down on methamphetamine and prescription drug abuse have pushed more addicts back to heroin. The drug is inexpensive, very strong and dangerous.
There were more than 1,200 deaths from opioid-type drugs in Tennessee last year.
