Virginia: DOJ Busts 35 in Drug Conspiracy

WFB:

The Department of Justice indicted 35 drug traffickers who collectively participated in a conspiracy to sell tons of highly potent drugs in eastern Virginia.

Over a three-day period, 120 law enforcement officers representing 30 agencies conducted a mass arrest of alleged conspirators responsible for a massive drug ring. Authorities seized 24 firearms, 30 kilograms of heroin, five kilograms of cocaine, $700,000 in cash, and 30 kilograms of fentanyl—the powerful opioid responsible for the surging number of overdose deaths in recent years. The fentanyl seized in the raid is enough to kill more than 14 million people—roughly the population of New York City, Los Angeles, and Houston combined—according to the Department of Justice.

“This operation, through its seizure of scores of kilograms of illicit narcotics, saved lives in the Eastern District and elsewhere,” G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, said in a statement. “Any day where we can do that is particularly meaningful and impactful.”

The large-scale trafficking ring began in March of 2016, according to the indictment. Its participants purchased and received narcotics from suppliers in California, New York, and even Mexico. They allegedly had illicit cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine base shipped to Virginia in privately owned vehicles, concealed using “hidden traps.” read more