Eight cartel suspects were recently arrested and 64 pounds of fentanyl worth $4.5 million seized in two separate Central Florida fentanyl drug trafficking investigations. It was the largest seizure in Polk County’s history according to local law enforcement.
Two separate multi-agency undercover investigations into Fentanyl drug trafficking led by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force resulted in the arrests of eight individuals linked to two different Cartels based in Mexico: the Sinaloa and the Jalisco New Generation Transnational Criminal Organizations.
Law enforcement seized 29 pounds of Fentanyl during the investigation of the Jalisco Cartel, and seized 35 pounds of Fentanyl from the Sinaloa Cartel, which is the largest seizure during one investigation in the county’s history. These back-to-back operations underscore the ongoing threat posed by international drug trafficking organizations.
The partnering agencies in the Sinaloa Cartel investigation were: The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE); U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Tampa and Phoenix Offices; U.S Border Patrol; Auburndale Police Department; Office of the State Attorney 10th Judicial Circuit, and United States Postal Inspection Service from the Tampa and Phoenix offices…