A metric ton of drugs has been seized in the arrest of 22 alleged members of transitional drug trafficking operations linked to a Mexican cartel.
A federal grand jury indicted the 22 people associated with the Beltran Leyva Cartel in Sinaloa, Mexico, according to a statement issued by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California on Thursday.
The operation, which involved more than 150 federal, state, and local officials, seized 2,204 pounds of drugs, including methamphetamine and cocaine.
In addition, approximately 1,653 pounds of fentanyl, 10 firearms, and more than $250,000 in drug proceeds were seized.
The seizures occurred in Arizona, California, Colorado, and Iowa.
“By disrupting this prolific, cartel-linked trafficking network, we are preventing the devastation and violence it brings,” Acting US Attorney Andrew Haden said in a statement.
As of Thursday, 10 defendants had been arrested, and searches for the remaining 12 fugitives continued.
