25 pounds of meth, fentanyl, heroin seized during Northern California traffic stop

A Chico man is facing drug charges after a traffic stop by the Butte County Sheriff’s Office led to the discovery of nearly 25 pounds of methamphetamine in the vehicle.

Shawn Nowlin, 48, was stopped for speeding around 7 a.m. Friday outside of Palermo, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Deputy Tyler Hardwick’s K-9 partner, Enzo, alerted him to the presence of narcotics, prompting a search of the pickup truck. Hardwick found methamphetamine and 388 oxycodone pills that were suspected to be counterfeit.

The Butte Interagency Narcotics Task Force joined the investigation and conducted a more thorough search of the vehicle. Authorities found 25 pounds of methamphetamine, over a pound and a half of heroin and over a pound of suspected powdered fentanyl.

“This amount of fentanyl is extremely dangerous to the public and is enough to produce over 544,000 counterfeit pills,” a statement from the Sheriff’s Office said.

Nowlin was arrested and booked at the Butte County Jail. He faces charges of possession for sale of methamphetamine, transportation of methamphetamine, possession for sale of an opiate and transportation for sale of an opiate. Nowlin is being held on $1 million bail.

This story was originally published April 10, 2021 at 10:01 AM.