Dozens arrested in takedown of cartel-linked drug trafficking ring in Valley, officials say

TULARE COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- Almost 90 radical person been arrested successful a months-long probe that investigators accidental dismantled a cause compartment cognition successful the Central Valley.

Early Thursday morning, 21 antithetic teams of local, state, and national investigators targeted homes crossed Kings, Tulare, and Fresno counties, serving hunt warrants aft 9 months of investigation.

28 radical are present facing charges, but they were acold from the archetypal successful what has been dubbed 'Operation SLO Ride,' named aft the archetypal accusation coming from the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office.

Thursday greeting alone, much than 200 pounds of meth, 3 kilos of cocaine, and much than 20 guns were seized, on with a bulletproof vest.

Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux says helium believes due to the fact that of this operation, communities are safer.

"This probe dismantled, wholly dismantled this cause operating cell. Now, they didn't wholly get escaped of cartels operating present successful the Central Valley, but this compartment was wholly dismantled. That's an important cardinal term," said Boudreaux.

Boudreaux said the compartment had nonstop ties to the Sinaloa Drug Cartel successful Mexico.

Since the probe began successful July 2023, the sheriff said much than 85 radical were arrested with astir 1,000 pounds of meth, 64,000 fentanyl pills, hundreds of thousands successful cash, and much than 80 guns seized.

Law enforcement expects much radical to beryllium identified successful summation to the six who person not yet been arrested.

If convicted, those progressive could look 10 years to beingness successful prison.

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