Sixteen people, including some with ties to a Tacoma street gang, have been charged and/or arrested following an 18-month investigation into a multi-state drug-trafficking ring in which couriers allegedly brought fentanyl into Washington through checked luggage, authorities announced Thursday.
During a news conference held at Tacoma Police Department headquarters, federal and local law enforcement officials described what Tacoma Police Chief Patti Jackson called “an incredibly successful operation” led by the FBI and assisted by several other agencies, including TPD and the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office.
In the preceding 36 hours, authorities executed 13 search warrants as part of the large-scale takedown that primarily targeted known members or associates of the Knoccout Crips street gang, a transnational criminal group which has been tied to drug trafficking and violence in Tacoma, according to officials…