The Department of Justice said Tuesday that under Operation Take Back America, the Drug Enforcement Administration has produced several large operations across the country that resulted in the seizure illicit drugs that allegedly flowed across the border.
DOJ said in a news release that since President Donald Trump was inaugurated on Jan. 20, the DEA has seized about 44 million fentanyl pills, 4,500 pounds of fentanyl powder, nearly 65,000 pounds of methamphetamine, and more than 201,500 pounds of cocaine. The DEA has also made more than 2,105 fentanyl-related arrests.
"This is a national security threat, not just a drug problem. We are taking the fight directly to the cartels," said Robert Murphy, the DEA's acting administrator, at a news conference with Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Murphy cited a $10 million cryptocurrency seizure in Miami linked with the Mexican Sinaloa cartel and another seizure of handguns and fentanyl pills in Omaha, Nebraska, which was linked with another Mexican drug organization. The Sinaloa cartel has been designated a foreign terrorist organization by the Trump administration.
"Every seizure demonstrates the reach these cartels have in every corner of the country," Murphy said.
The DOJ provided numerous examples of successful DEA operations over the past several weeks, including:
- Gainesville, Georgia: On June 30, more than 700 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in a truckload of cucumbers was discovered, leading to two arrests, one of an illegal immigrant.
- Kern County, California: On July 2, a major methamphetamine conversion lab was shut down, leading the seizure of more than 240 pounds of crystal methamphetamine and 151 gallons of liquid methamphetamine. Five people, all Mexican nationals, were arrested.
- Fresno, California: Over the Fourth of July weekend, more than 24 pounds of carfentanil, a synthetic opioid nicknamed the "elephant tranquilizer" considered 100 times as potent as fentanyl, was seized after it was disguised as prescription oxycodone pills. It is considered the largest carfentanil seizure in Northern California.
- Minneapolis, Minnesota: On July 7, more than 889 pounds of methamphetamine was seized, along with a handgun. Two arrests were made.
- Galveston, Texas: On July 10, more than 1,700 pounds of methamphetamine, with a street value of more than $15 million, was seized from a tractor-trailer hauling carrots.
- Austin, Texas: Last weekend, more than 783 pounds of methamphetamine hidden inside a refrigerated truck carrying blueberries was seized.
Bondi praised the One Big Beautiful Bill Act for including $3.3 billion in funding to fight drug trafficking and support the prosecution of illegal immigrants and gang-related crimes.
She also praised Congress for enacting the HALT Fentanyl Act, which permanently classifies fentanyl-related ingredients as controlled substances and imposes a minimum mandatory penalty of up to 10 years for trafficking such substances.
"In many cases, illegal aliens are doing the work of cartels in our communities," Bondi said. "In one recent example just two weeks ago, the DEA arrested an illegal alien sitting in the front passenger seat of a trailer truck that contained over 700 pounds of methamphetamine. … They are now putting methamphetamine in a pill form. First time we've seen that [in] a pill form.
"Now a pill form of methamphetamine might not kill you instantly, but it can get you so addicted to meth that it can destroy your life instantly.
"DOJ attorneys will continue to prosecute these violent criminals, and they're all violent. If you are dealing in these drugs to Americans, to any citizen in this world, you're a violent criminal, and we will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law."
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.