The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced today the arrests of 17 individuals across multiple states, including Edgar Valdez, 26, of Phoenix, Arizona, in connection with a widespread fentanyl trafficking conspiracy.
The arrests are part of a two-year investigation into a drug ring linked to a fatal fentanyl overdose on the Lummi Nation reservation in Whatcom County, Washington.
According to the DEA, law enforcement agencies executed search warrants and made arrests in Georgia, Missouri, Texas, Arizona, and Washington.
Valdez and other members of the trafficking organization face charges related to the distribution of more than 800,000 fentanyl pills across the United States.
The drug trafficking network, led by Marquis Jackson, 31, of Atlanta and Renton, Washington, expanded its operations beyond Washington state to include Arizona, Texas, Missouri, and Georgia, the DEA said.
Authorities seized over 846,000 fentanyl pills, 7 kilograms of fentanyl powder, 7 kilograms of cocaine, 29 firearms, and more than $116,000 in cash over the course of the investigation.