PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Arizona’s attorney general is sounding the alarm over a new illegal drug being marketed toward kids and young women.

The Attorney General’s Office says law enforcement agencies in Arizona are seeing an increase of fruit-flavored cocaine in the illegal drug market.

Attorney General Kris Mayes says dealers are marketing the flavored drug toward younger people and women, attempting to lure new users to using cocaine.

Mayes said the drug is being sold in flavors like piña colada, strawberry, coconut and banana, which may appeal to children. She added that illegal drugs like cocaine often contain the deadly drug fentanyl.

“We want everyone to stay safe and avoid the harms that come from using illegal drugs,” Mayes said.

The warning from the AG’s office comes after a man was sentenced in Pima County last month for selling fruit-flavored cocaine.

A release from Mayes’ office says that on July 17, Jaden Alfredo Covarrubias sold about 1.55 pounds of cocaine to another person after advertising his access to coconut, strawberry and banana flavored forms. Mayes said Covarrubias offered to sell the drugs on social media platforms like WhatsApp.

Covarrubias was sentenced on Nov. 24 to 1.75 years in prison. He was ordered to pay $4,500 to the State Anti-Racketeering Revolving Fund and $300 for investigative costs to the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

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COLORADO CITY, Ariz. — Santa Claus traded his sleigh for small planes Wednesday as 20 volunteer pilots from Angel Flight West’s Utah wing flew hundreds of miles to deliver Christmas gifts and school supplies to two Title I schools on the Utah-Arizona border.

The annual “Santa Flight” brought toys, winter coats, backpacks and more than 500 books donated by PBS Utah to about 500 students from Water Canyon Elementary in Hildale, Utah, and Cottonwood Elementary in Colorado City, Arizona. The schools gathered at the Colorado City airport to greet Santa, Mrs. Claus, some elves and the pilots.

“Well, this is just excitement,” said Brad Jolley, principal at Water Canyon Elementary in Hildale. “I mean, you look at the faces of the kids, you see smiles, and just a great opportunity, great atmosphere.”

“This is the first time that our two schools in our valley have come together and done an activity,” said Natalie Hammon, principal at Cottonwood Elementary in Colorado City. “So Santa Flight has really helped us unite our valley and let our two schools work together for a great cause.”

The donations were made possible by community groups and sponsors, including the John C. Kish Foundation, Bank of Utah and the Leavitt Group. Lou Rossi, Utah Wing leader for Angel Flight West, said the effort reflects the generosity of pilots and donors during a tough economic time.

Angel Flight West is best known for providing free air transportation for patients traveling long distances for medical care. Volunteer pilot Steve Booth said the holiday mission is just one way to give back.

“For somebody that might need a four- or five-hour car ride after a cancer treatment, a 45 (-minute) or one-hour flight just makes a huge, huge difference in their life,” Booth said.

The Santa Flight tradition began in 2000 and rotates among rural schools each year.

The Arizona State Sun Devils were looking to improve on the win they chalked up three days ago against Oklahoma. They did, sort of.

ASU added a 73-48 win over visiting Northern Arizona on Dec. 9 at Desert Financial Arena for its fifth win in the last six outings.

Defense has been the team’s focus in the last two weeks, and that showed as the Sun Devils (8-2) held their opponent to a season-low point total. Coach Bobby Hurley said the team’s goal was to hold the Lumberjacks (4-5) to under 49 points. Mission accomplished there.

ASU shot 50% 26-for-52) for the game, with an even split, 15-for-30 in the first and 11-for-22 in the second half. NAU shot 33.3% (17-for-51), which included a 5-for-26 from long distance.

What went right

Got scoring punch from the bench: ASU is 8-0 when getting more points from its bench than the opponent, and 0-2 when it does not. In this one, it wasn’t even close as the Sun Devils had a significant advantage here, 33-3. Allen Mukeba had 10, Anthony “Pig” Johnson nine, and Marcus Adams 8.

Rebounded better: This is an area where the Sun Devils have made noticeable strides in the last two games, and this was an opponent ASU should have bested on the board because it was one of the few where they have had a size advantage. The Sun Devils won the battle 41-15, with a 10-4 edge on the offensive glass and a 31-21 advantage on the defensive boards. Santiago Trout had eight, with Mukeba, Andrija Grbovic, and Massamba Diop each collecting six.

Used inside presence: The 7-0 freshman Diop had a career-high 19 points on an 8-for-10 showing from the field. Hurley said his team didn’t go to him enough

What went wrong

A few too many turnovers: ASU had 13, which is too many against a .500 foe. NAU had 10 steals, and it wasn’t exactly pressuring the ball. It was the area in which Hurley was most disappointed. Diop had four. The Sun Devils were fortunate NAU only manufactured 12 points off those turnovers. NAU also had 13 turnovers, and ASU scored 23 points off those.

A bit sluggish in the first half: ASU ended the first half up 35-26. It was up 11-2, then faltered a bit, and the Lumberjacks actually went ahead 14-13 with 10:40 left in the half.

Personnel notes

ASU has used the same starting lineup for all 10 games this season. A total of 10 athletes entered the game and all of them scored. The last person to score was Moe Odum, who came in averaging 18.9 points per game. His only two points came at the line with 30 seconds left.

Up next

The Sun Devils are back on the road for another neutral site game, the fifth of the season. ASU will square off with Santa Clara (8-2) in the Jack Jones Hoop Hall Classic at 5 p.m. on Dec. 13 at Lee’s Family Forum in Henderson, Nevada. ASU is 3-1 in neutral-site games while the Broncos are 1-1.

The teams played last season with ASU prevailing 81-74.