Sixteen people were arrested and caught three million drugs in what federal prosecutors said Tuesday of the “largest fentanyl bust in the history of the DEA.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi said the operation spanned several Western states and “signed the most important victory in the U.S. fight against fentanyl and drug trafficking so far.”
Among them, the arrested person was the leader of a Sinaloa Cartel, Mexican national Heriberto Salazar Amaya, 36, was detained in Salem, Oregon, in Salem, Oregon, at a press conference. In February, the State Department designated the Sinaloa cartel as a foreign terrorist organization.
When the arrested persons were deported to Mexico, Bondy said: “I want them to stay in our prisons as long as possible.”
"If the majority of people who are convicted, if convicted, may remain in U.S. prisons, maybe Alcatraz," the attorney general added in reference to the closed California prison that President Donald Trump said. He wants to reopen.
The Justice Department said law enforcement officers seized more than 400 kilograms (880 pounds) of fentanyl pills, 11.5 kilograms of fentanyl powder, 80 kilograms of methamphetamine, 7.5 kilograms of cocaine and 4.5 kilograms of heroin. U.S. officials said the bust also received $5 million in cash and 49 rifles and pistols, while releasing several images of the items being removed.
"This case represents the largest fentanyl pill seizure in the DEA," said Robert Murphy, acting administrator of the Drug Enforcement Bureau.
Bondy said that 75,000 Americans die each year due to fentanyl, the number one cause of death for people aged 18 to 34 in the United States.
“They are flooding our city with weapons of mass destruction, fentanyl,” she said.
New Mexico U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison said the “complex fentanyl and narcotics distribution network” spans New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon and Utah.
Ellison said the 16 arrested faced various federal charges, including conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and gun crimes.
Drug overdose is the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 44, DEA says
In the past few years, most states have had fewer deaths. Between 2022 and 2023 Excessive death A national decline of 4%, marking the first decline since the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. Overdose deaths fell by 17% Between July 2023 and July 2024.