Over a million fentanyl pills, 455 pounds of methamphetamine, several vehicles and firearms, and over $200,000 in cash were seized by the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, multiple Valley police agencies and Arizona offices.
“As we know, fentanyl continues to plague our communities, plague our state and plague our nation,” Maricopa County Sheriff Russ Skinner said during the news conference. “Not only in the distribution of it, but also in those who come in contact with it.”
Skinner held the press conference Thursday afternoon to highlight the large-scale drug operation involving the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, the Buckeye, Tempe, Mesa, Surprise, Casa Grande police departments, the Arizona Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Arizona Attorney General's Office.
The nine-month investigation revealed mid to high-level distribution groups in Maricopa County and Skinner said authorities believe the illicit drugs came from Mexico. As of May 30, 31 suspects have been identified and indicted on multiple felony charges through the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, Skinner said.
The total estimated street value of what was seized is over $5 million dollars.
“In cases like this, we typically see and say ‘with drugs, come weapons and come cash,’” Skinner said at the news conference. “And this one being no different.”
Over 41 firearms were recovered as well.
"I am extremely appreciative of all the proactive work by our staff and partner law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies to combat this epidemic," Skinner said during the news conference. "We will continue to work together, along with our communities to keep our neighborhoods and families safe.”
More than half of fentanyl seized in the United States is found in Arizona, according to the DEA.
“We’re seeing everything from trailers to apartments to actual houses, residential structures to even commercial businesses, warehouse type districts," Skinner said. "We’re seeing it all of over the place. We’ve even gotten it out of vehicles before.”
Skinner said his deputies and other law enforcement agencies see the impact on a daily basis through overdoses on the street and people smuggling the pills into jail.
The taskforce also took down several working drug labs during this operation. They recently obtained a new mobile unit that travels across the state that safely dismantles and processes the dangerous labs.
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