Numerous Valley police departments, Arizona offices, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, and several vehicles and firearms were able to seize over a million fentanyl tablets, 455 pounds of methamphetamine, and over $200,000 in cash.
“As we know, fentanyl continues to plague our communities, plague our state and plague our nation,” Maricopa County Sheriff Russ Skinner stated. “Not only in the distribution of it, but also in those who come in contact with it.”
The purpose of Skinner’s press conference on Thursday afternoon was to draw attention to the massive narcotics operation that involved the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, the Buckeye, Tempe, Mesa, Surprise, and Casa Grande police departments.
Major drug bust: @mcsoaz seized more than $5 million worth of fentanyl, meth, guns and other drugs during a nearly year long large scale drug operation. It ended with 30 indictments of drug traffickers and money carriers traveling between Mexico and Arizona. @12News pic.twitter.com/iRkULdnmrZ
— Gabriella Bachara (@GabbyBachara) May 30, 2024
After a nine-month investigation, Maricopa County’s mid-to-high level distribution networks were identified, and according to Skinner, investigators think the illegal drugs originated in Mexico.
The Arizona Attorney General’s Office has identified and indicted 31 defendants on various felonies as of May 30, according to Skinner.
The total estimated street value of the items that were taken is more than $5 million.
“In cases like this, we typically see and say ‘with drugs, come weapons and come cash,'” Skinner stated. “And this one being no different.”
There were also more than 41 firearms found.
“I am extremely appreciative of all the proactive work by our staff and partner law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies to combat this epidemic,” Skinner stated. “We will continue to work together, along with our communities to keep our neighborhoods and families safe.”
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Arizona is home to over half of all fentanyl detected in the United States, 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 stated. “We’re seeing it all of over the place. We’ve even gotten it out of vehicles before.”
According to Skinner, overdoses on the streets and individuals smuggling tablets into jail are two ways that his deputies and other law enforcement organizations witness the damage on a daily basis.
Throughout this operation, the taskforce also destroyed a number of operational narcotics labs. They recently acquired a brand-new mobile machine that safely disassembles and processes the hazardous labs while traveling the entire state.
