Attorney General Pam Bondi announced one of the largest fentanyl seizures in U.S. history, highlighting the ongoing threat posed by illegal drug trafficking and its connection to illegal immigration. The operation resulted in the confiscation of 11.5 kilograms of fentanyl, including approximately three million pills, along with $5 million in cash, 49 firearms, luxury vehicles, and significant quantities of methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine.
The six-month investigation spanned five western states: Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. Sixteen individuals were arrested, six of whom were in the United States illegally. The alleged leader, Alberto Salazar Amaya, residing in Salem, Oregon, is believed to be affiliated with the Sinaloa Mexican drug cartel.
All defendants face charges including conspiracy, fentanyl distribution, firearms offenses, and, for some, immigration violations. Bondi emphasized that those in the U.S. illegally will not be deported but will face prosecution and, if convicted, serve their sentences in American prisons.
“I want them to stay in our prisons as long as possible…I have no desire to send them back to Mexico. Most of these individuals, if convicted, will remain in American prisons, perhaps Alcatraz,” Bondi stated.
Bondi described fentanyl as a weapon of “mass destruction” and issued a stern warning to those distributing the drug in the U.S., stating they will be caught and incarcerated with no negotiations.
