Attorney General Bonta Announces the Arrest of Ten International Narcotic Smugglers

LOS ANGELES — California Attorney General Rob Bonta together with the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) today announced the arrest of ten suspects as part of a multiagency apprehension operation in Southern California. Over the past year, the Los Angeles Interagency Metropolitan Police Apprehension Crime Task Force (L.A. IMPACT) was a part of the joint investigation into an organized crime group responsible for trafficking thousands of kilograms of narcotics per month through Los Angeles destined for Canada. 

“California is safer today thanks to this collaborative effort between our federal and local law enforcement partners,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Illicit drugs such as fentanyl can kill and have no place in our neighborhoods. I am proud of the task force officers working hard in our L.A. IMPACT task force and inspired by their commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of all Californians.”

As a result of the investigation, a total of 19 subjects have been federally indicted and approximately 2,000 pounds of methamphetamine, 650 kilograms of cocaine, 19 kilograms of fentanyl, and 4 kilograms of heroin have been seized. Today, the FBI, LAPD and L.A. IMPACT conducted a takedown operation that involved the service of approximately 30 search warrants in the Southern California region. Arrest warrants were issued in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The United States Attorney’s Office Central District of California will be handling prosecution. 

Inaugurated in July 1991, L.A. IMPACT is a compilation of numerous federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies in Los Angeles County whose primary focus is to investigate major crimes, with an emphasis on dismantling mid- to major-level drug trafficking organizations.

More information on the case can be found here.