LOS ANGELES — A joint operation targeting a suspected cocaine and methamphetamine trafficking ring linked to Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel netted narcotics with an estimated street value of $33 million.
The operation, executed by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents in Los Angeles in concert with the Fontana Police Department, represents the largest meth seizure on record for the DEA’s Los Angeles division, the DEA stated.
“Synthetic drugs like methamphetamine are highly addictive, dangerous and killing people at alarming rates,” DEA Los Angeles Special Agent in Charge Bill Bodner said in a prepared statement.
According to a news release, investigators observed an individual in late September carry three weighted boxes from a residence in Norco, California, and place them in a vehicle. A search of the vehicle and residence turned up 66 kilograms, or more than 145 pounds, of cocaine and roughly 3,552 pounds of meth.
“This massive seizure likely saved lives and prevented the Sinaloa Cartel from doing business and profiting on the lives of people in our communities,” he added.
Meanwhile, the investigation into the drug trafficking organization remains ongoing, the DEA stated.
According to DEA data, a record-number 107,622 Americans died from drug toxicity or overdoses in 2021.