Donald Trump’s Justice Department seized 3 million fentanyl pills as part of the largest-ever multi-state drug operation in U.S. history.
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on Tuesday that the operation spanned at least four states and was being run by a group of drug traffickers that included half-a-dozen people in the U.S. illegally.
She said that the bust took down major Sinaloa Cartel leader Alberto Salazar Amaya, who was living in Salem, Oregon. But the fentanyl his team peddled was spread throughout New Mexico, Arizona and Utah.
‘This multi-agency operation – led by DEA with our local, state, tribal and federal partners – targeted one of the largest and most dangerous drug trafficking and foreign terrorist organizations in our country,’ Bondi said in a press conference on the historic operation.
She added: ‘The DEA seized 11.5 kilos of fentanyl, including an astounding approximately 3 million fentanyl pills – the largest seizure in our nation’s history.’
Bondi said the seizure and arrests are ‘the most significant victory in our nation’s fight against fentanyl and drug trafficking to date.’
On stage with Bondi at the Justice Department building on Tuesday were agents and prosecutors with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico.
Alongside the group were posters with images of the drugs seized and the traffickers arrested.
Bondi praised the partners who helped make the historic operation a success.
‘They have made the largest fentanyl bust in our nation’s history,’ she lauded.
Amaya and six of his accomplices were in the U.S. illegally when they were arrested in connection to the drug trafficking ring.
Trump’s immigration policies now include deporting to El Salvador’s notorious prison any gang members and other migrant criminals found to be in the U.S. without documentation.
Earlier this year, Trump sent hundreds of Tren de Aragua and MS-13 gang members to the Terrorism Confinement Center.
The prison’s construction in 2022 came as El Salvador’s leaders sought to crack down on a rise in gang activity.