SAN DIEGO, CA — Federal agents in the San Diego area nabbed hundred of pounds of illicit drugs and made scores of arrests during a recent monthlong nationwide crackdown on fentanyl trafficking, authorities announced Wednesday.
During the effort, the second phase of an initiative dubbed Operation Fentanyl Free America, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration seized more than 4.7 million fentanyl pills and nearly 2,396 pounds of fentanyl powder across the country, resulting in more than 57 million doses of the deadly narcotic removed from U.S. communities, according to the federal agency.
“Cartels are intentionally poisoning Americans, driving the fentanyl crisis and profiting from the misery caused by addiction,” DEA Special Agent in Charge James Nunnallee said. “DEA is actively seeking out the cartels, using every tool in our toolkit to eliminate the threat they pose to our communities.”
In the San Diego area, according to the DEA, the operation, which ran from Jan. 12 to Feb. 10, resulted in 126 arrests and the seizure of 14.09 kilograms of fentanyl, 45,930 fentanyl pills, 418.82 kilos of cocaine, 297.98 kilos of methamphetamine, 50.29 kilos of heroin, 35.21 kilos of marijuana and $1.23 million in U.S. currency.
The operation was part of Fentanyl Free America, a DEA initiative launched last October.