NC police found an opioid in a shoebox in his vehicle. Now, he’s going to prison.

A federal judge in Charlotte sentenced a 54-year-old man to over eight years in prison for trafficking a drug generally used to tranquilize elephants, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Wednesday.

Miguel Angel Gonzalez-Perez of Mexico pleaded guilty in November for trafficking carfentanil, a synthetic opioid generally used as a tranquilizing agent for elephants and other large mammals, according to a news release from the office of Dena King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.

Gonzalez received a 97-month sentence and three years of supervised release.

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“The presence of carfentanil in illicit U.S. drug markets is cause for grave concern, as the relative strength of this drug can lead to increased overdoses and overdose-related deaths,” the release said. “Carfentanil also poses a significant threat to everyone who may come in contact with this substance due to accidental exposure, including first responders and law enforcement personnel.”

Carfentanil is 10,000 times more potent than morphine and 100 times more potent than fentanyl, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. The lethal dose range for carfentanil in humans is unknown, the DEA said.

During a traffic stop in May 2020, Gaston County Police found more than 2 kilograms — about 4.4 pounds — of carfentanil in a shoebox inside Gonzalez’s vehicle, according to court documents and statements made in court. The street value of the seized carfentanil is $175,000, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Gonzalez had traveled to Atlanta to obtain the carfentanil and was driving back to Western North Carolina when police arrested him, court records show.

He was charged and ultimately pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute carfentanil and aiding and abetting, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.