WASHINGTON, D.C. – May 6, 2025 – In a historic enforcement operation, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the largest fentanyl seizure in American history, dismantling a major drug trafficking ring tied to the Sinaloa Cartel. The multi-state sting resulted in 16 arrests and the seizure of deadly narcotics, cash, and weapons.
Federal agents recovered more than 2.7 million fentanyl pills, 11.5 kilograms of fentanyl powder, 75 pounds of methamphetamine, 7.5 kilograms of cocaine, and 4.5 kilograms of heroin. The bust also included $5 million in cash and 49 firearms—many of them modified for automatic fire.
Among those arrested was alleged ringleader Heriberto Salazar Amaya. Six of the suspects were in the U.S. illegally. Authorities say the organization was smuggling drugs across the Southwest and into major American cities, posing a deadly threat to public health and safety.
“This is not just a criminal operation—it’s chemical warfare on our streets,” Bondi said during a press conference. “We’ve dealt a major blow to the networks flooding our country with fentanyl and killing over 75,000 Americans every year.”
The enforcement spanned across New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, and Utah. In Albuquerque alone, authorities seized the bulk of the fentanyl and uncovered counterfeit oxycodone pills laced with the lethal drug.
DEA officials say this operation not only disrupted cartel activity but also prevented millions of potentially fatal doses from reaching U.S. communities.
More updates will follow as federal prosecutors move forward with charges.
