Special agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) seized enough fentanyl to kill 8 million Americans during a bust last month in Newark, New Jersey, Breitbart News has learned. The drugs were in the possession of members of the Trinitarios gang, a violent gang made up of Dominican-Americans.
Agents with HSI Newark executed search warrants last month, leading to the arrest of two Trinitarios gang members who have been charged with conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine, and maintaining a drug-involved premises.
In the search, federal officials told Breitbart News that agents seized 16 kilograms of fentanyl, over a kilogram of heroin laced with fentanyl, about 900 grams of cocaine, and a firearm with a large-capacity magazine that contained 51 rounds of ammunition.
For perspective, just one kilogram of fentanyl can kill up to 500,000 people.
Officials said that many of the drugs found in the bust were hidden in a trap cabinet that could only be opened using a remote key fob.
Department of Homeland Security
“On this National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day, I want to thank the brave men and women of the Department of Homeland Security who work so hard to hunt down fentanyl traffickers and smugglers, get them out of our communities, and get their poison off of our streets,” DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said.
“We have lost too many American lives to fentanyl, especially after years of disastrous open-border policies that made it even easier for the cartels to bring their drugs to our country,” Mullin said. “Thanks to President Donald J. Trump’s strong leadership, we are bringing the hammer down on drug traffickers and smugglers, putting them out of business and behind bars.”
In another case detailed to Breitbart News, HSI special agents probed a Mexico-based drug trafficking organization that was moving large sums of drugs through the United States, including more than a dozen major cities in California, Georgia, Florida, Ohio, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Illinois.
Agents seized 53 kilograms of drugs, including fentanyl pills, during their probe and have suggested that the organization is responsible for more than 2,200 kilograms of drugs, including fentanyl, having been distributed throughout American communities.
Department of Homeland Security
Department of Homeland Security
“HSI special agents stand on the front lines of the fight against fentanyl, working tirelessly with our Homeland Security Task Force partners to disrupt the criminal networks that traffic this deadly poison into our communities,” HSI Executive Associate Director John Condon said. “Their dedication, skill, and courage are putting dangerous drug dealers behind bars while saving American lives. Every seizure, every arrest, and every investigation reflects HSI’s unwavering commitment to taking deadly drugs off our streets.”
Likewise, HSI agents, as well as agents with the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) and the U.S. Postal Inspector Service (USPIS), discovered that nearly 80 pounds of methamphetamine and one kilogram of fentanyl were purchased through undercover operations.
This month, federal agents and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement arrested those involved with the purchases, and a search resulted in the seizure of almost $1.4 million in drug profits.
Department of Homeland Security
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com.
