The U.S. Department of Justice has announced what Attorney General Pam Bondi describes as the “largest fentanyl bust” in the nation’s history. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) led an operation across five states, executing search warrants in New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Arizona and Nevada against suspected Sinaloa cartel members.
“This historic drug seizure, led by the DEA, is a significant blow against the Sinaloa cartel that removes poison from our streets and protects American citizens from the scourge of fentanyl,” Bondi said in a statement.
What did law enforcement agents seize during this operation?
Federal authorities arrested 16 individuals in connection with the alleged criminal enterprise, at least six of whom were reportedly in the U.S. illegally. Authorities seized more than three million fentanyl pills, 11.5 kilograms of fentanyl powder and multiple kilograms of other narcotics. They include methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, millions of dollars in cash and a number of firearms.
Among those taken into custody was 36-year-old Sinaloa cartel member and Mexican national Heriberto Salazar Amaya, identified by officials as the suspected leader of the group. The Justice Department referred to the organization as one of the most dangerous drug trafficking groups currently operating in the United States.
“Behind the three million fentanyl pills we seized are destructive criminal acts thwarted and American lives saved,” DEA Acting Administrator Robert Murphy said. “This wasn’t just a bust—it was a battlefield victory against a terrorist-backed network pumping death into our cities.”
How do officials intend to prosecute these alleged crimes?
This case is part of “Operation Take Back America,” a federal initiative targeting drug trafficking, organized crime and illegal immigration. Charges against the 16 suspects include conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, drug trafficking crimes, firearm offenses and immigration-related violations. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico is leading the prosecution, with support from U.S. attorneys in Oregon, Arizona and Utah.
“They need to serve their time in an American prison to keep them off the streets, who knows where they would go next,” Bondi said. “They’re facing a substantial amount of time in prison, and there’s a very big risk, we all know, releasing someone, especially to Mexico.”
What happens next?
Bondi said following this seizure, the Justice Department will continue working with its law enforcement partners to “dismantle every cartel network operating illegally in the United States.” Meanwhile, Murphy stated the DEA will “relentlessly” pursue the cartels and “will not stop” until their networks are destroyed.
