Authorities Arrest 35 People In Fentanyl Drug Bust

Source: The Washington Post / Getty

Authorities Arrest 35 People In Fentanyl Drug Bust

A huge three-state drug bust led to authorities arresting 35 people and seizing a massive amount of fentanyl.

According to reports from CNN, the quantity of fentanyl seized in the search could kill approximately 14 million people. The Justice Department traced the source of some of the deadly opioids to Shanghai, China. In the process, authorities have shut down an alleged drug trafficking ring here in the States, as well.

“The illicit fentanyl that’s coming in, the vast majority is from China and a lot of it is coming in through the mails,” U.S. Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger explained. “The last thing we want is for the U.S. Postal Service to become the nation’s largest drug dealer and there are people way above my pay grade working on that, but absolutely it’s about putting pressure on the Chinese.”

A whopping 39 co-conspirators have been charged with 106 counts for their involvement in the drug ring. Authorities first started on this case back in March 2016, with the suspects ranging anywhere from 19 to 63 years old.

30 kilograms of fentanyl, 30 kilograms of heroin, 5 kilograms of cocaine, $700,000 in cash, and 24 firearms were also seized by the 120 or so officers in the operation. The three-day targeted arrest operation took place in Virginia, North Carolina, and Texas.

Four additional suspects that have been named in the indictment reportedly remain at large.