35 people were arrested, and enormous amounts of narcotics were seized as part of the largest drug takedown in Virginia in over 15 years.
Law enforcement officers seized over 30 kilograms of fentanyl, 30 kilograms of heroin, and five kilograms of cocaine after busting a drug ring that spanned three states. In addition to the drugs, $700,000 was recovered as well as 24 firearms, according to CBS.
“This opioid crisis is not an issue that is happening someplace else, or to someone else. It’s happening right here in Norfolk,” U.S. Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger said.
In the course of the investigation, dubbed “Operation Cookout,” authorities found that one member of the ring ordered fentanyl from Shanghai. Fentanyl is a powerful artificial opioid that is used as a filler in other drugs and can be fatal in extremely small doses. Most of the chemical comes from labs in China.
“The last thing we want is for the U.S. Postal Service to become the nation’s largest drug dealer,” Terwilliger said.
Terwilliger emphasized the magnitude of the bust.
“We’re not talking about $500 and $600 deals, we’re talking hundreds of thousands of dollars,” he said. “You know, $20,000 in the trunk of somebody’s car in a gym bag, you know, behind a local restaurant.”
Despite the 35 arrests, four people who were part of the drug ring are still on the run. Hampton Police Chief Terry Sult said news of the bust should serve as a warning to other dealers. He said authorities are “relentless.”
“If you’re out there, you’re using firearms, you’re dealing drugs and you’re hurting people in our communities, this is the group of people that’s coming after you,” Sult said.
