Almost 1,000,000 Fentanyl Pills Seized in Sinaloa Cartel Linked Bust in Inglewood, California

"Socalj" for Borderland Beat

According to the DEA, the seizure of fentanyl pills is the largest bust they have made in California.

The record-breaking haul of fake pills believed to contain fentanyl was seized at an Inglewood, California home on July 5, according to DEA officials. The pills have an estimated street value of $15 to $20 million.

"The deceptive marketing coupled with the ease of accessibility makes these small and seemingly innocuous pills a significant threat to the health and safety of all our communities," Bill Bodner, DEA Special-Agent-in-Charge, said in a statement. "A staggering number of teens and young adults are unaware that they are ingesting fentanyl in these fake pills and are being poisoned."

The DEA says the seizure of fentanyl pills is the biggest they have made in California.

The bust was made at a home after an investigation into a trafficking group linked to the Sinaloa Cartel.

Agents with the DEA's High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Group 48 made the bust earlier this month following an investigation of an LA-area drug trafficking group believed to be linked to the Sinaloa Cartel. During the investigation, the DEA said they identified Southern California-based drug couriers and stash house managers who were tasked with the distribution.

"These pills that are on the street, even though they look identical to oxycodone pills they're fake," Bodner said in an interview. "There [are] no active pharmaceutical ingredients in them. They are made with fentanyl and they are terribly dangerous. That's why we're seeing death numbers rise in L.A. County."

The greater Los Angeles area was identified by the DEA as a major transshipment hub where illegal drugs coming from across the border are being stored in local warehouses, storage units, and homes. The drugs are then broken down into smaller quantities for transport to other states and distributed to dealers, a task made easier thanks to the area's many international airports, freeways, and bus and train lines.

DEA officials did not say if any arrests were made, and the investigation into the drug trafficking organization is ongoing.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 107,000 people have died as a result of a drug overdose or poisoning in the U.S. Criminal drug networks in Mexico are mass-producing illicit fentanyl and fake pills pressed with fentanyl in filthy, clandestine, unregulated labs. These fake pills are designed to look like real prescription pills right down to the size, shape, color, and stamping. These fake pills typically replicate real prescription opioid medications such as oxycodone (Oxycontin®, Percocet®), hydrocodone (Vicodin®), and alprazolam (Xanax®); or stimulants like amphetamines (Adderall®).

In 2021, the DEA offices in the greater Los Angeles area seized over 3 million fentanyl pills, which was nearly a three-fold increase from the previous year. In the first four months of 2022, DEA Los Angeles seized approximately 1.5 million fentanyl pills, which is a 64% increase over the same period last year.

The only safe medications are ones that come from licensed and accredited medical professionals. DEA warns that pills purchased outside of a licensed pharmacy are illegal, dangerous, and potentially lethal. For more information please visit www.dea.gov/onepill.

 

Source CBS News, DEA