22 arrested for smuggling thousands of pounds of drugs into U.S., officials say

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- More than 20 radical are were arrested successful a large cause trafficking crackdown successful California that began successful Mexico.

"This cognition was a culmination of 4 years of teamwork and the FBI's determination and beardown investigative work," said FBI Assistant Special Agent Johnathan Snow.

During a property league connected Monday, Snow and US Attorney Phillip Talbert announced charges person been filed against 22 people, chiefly from Los Angeles County.

Those arrested are accused of moving drugs from Mexico into the US and distributing them crossed the country, including present successful the Central Valley.

Investigators accidental the suspects person besides stuffed meth, cocaine and fentanyl into portable projectors and batteries - and smuggled them nether the guise of a morganatic proscription business.

In total, "Operation Toxic Waste" led to the seizure of astir 13,000 pounds of methamphetamine, implicit 50 pounds of fentanyl mixture, on with cocaine, heroin, and 35 firearms.

As of Monday, 15 radical person been arrested, chiefly astatine the California-Mexico border.

The different 7 individuals are inactive astatine large.

If convicted, the individuals could look 20 to 40 years down bar, and immoderate suspects could look beingness sentences.

More than 200 instrumentality enforcement agents were progressive successful sweeping the drugs disconnected the streets.

As the probe continues, Talbert wants radical successful the Central Valley to beryllium alert of however unsafe the drugs tin be.

"Fentanyl present accounts of astir two-thirds of implicit 100,000 yearly overdose deaths successful the United States. It tin can termination successful precise tiny amounts. Only 2 milligrams of fentanyl is simply a perchance lethal dose," explained Talbert.

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