WASHINGTON — U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the largest fentanyl seizure in U.S. history on Tuesday. Flanked by law enforcement agents, Bondi said the Drug Enforcement Administration had seized approximately 3 million fentanyl pills as part of a six-month investigation in five western states.

What You Need To Know

  • Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the largest fentanyl seizure in U.S. history on Tuesday

  • The Drug Enforcement Administration seized 3 million fentanyl pills

  • The Justice Department alleges the leader was a member of the Sinaloa drug cartel in Mexico

  • Sixteen people were arrested, including six who were in the U.S. illegally, Bondi said

“These pills were stamped as oxycodone,” Bondi said of a bust that also yielded $5 million in cash, 49 rifles, numerous luxury vehicles and 35 kilograms of methamphetamine, as well as heroin and cocaine. The cash, cars and illegal drugs were found in Phoenix; Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Utah, Bondi said. 

Of the 16 people arrested for being part of the operation, Bondi said six were in the country illegally, including the alleged leader, Alberto Salazar Amaya, who lived in Salem, Oregon. She alleged Amaya is part of the Sinaloa Mexican drug cartel.

The defendants are charged with conspiracy and distribution of fentanyl, as well as firearms offenses and in some cases immigration violations.

Bondi said the defendants who are in the U.S. illegally will not be deported.

“I want them to stay in our prisons as long as possible," she said. "I have no desire to send them back to Mexico.

"Most of these individuals, if convicted, will remain in American prisons, perhaps Alcatraz,” she said, referencing an idea President Donald Trump floated this past weekend to reopen the notorious prison off the coast of San Francisco.

Fentanyl is the No. 1 cause of death for individuals ages 18 and 34, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. From October 2023 to September 2024, about 87,000 Americans died from overdoses.

The fentanyl precursor chemicals were made in China and sent to Mexico before coming into the U.S., Bondi said.

U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico Ryan Ellison said the fentanyl investigation was a coordinated effort between federal, state, tribal and local law enforcement agencies across the states of Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon and Utah. 

“Together, we have sent a clear message,” Ellison said. “We will not tolerate those who profit from poisoning American citizens.”