Norco drug bust nets record $33 million worth of meth, feds say
Authorities seized a record $33 million worth of methamphetamine during a recent bust in Norco, federal officials said.
About 3,552 pounds of methamphetamine and 145 pounds of cocaine were seized during the bust in late September by the Los Angeles Field Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Fontana Police Department, according to authorities.
The meth haul was a record for federal drug enforcement officers based in Los Angeles.
Officials said they had been tracking a drug trafficking ring believed to be part of Mexico’s Sinaloa crime cartel at the time of the bust.
Investigators pinpointed a stash house in Norco, authorities said, and in a raid discovered the meth cache, with an estimated street value of $33 million, inside the garage.
“Synthetic drugs like methamphetamine are highly addictive, dangerous and killing people at alarming rates,” said L.A. DEA Special Agent in Charge Bill Bodner. “This massive seizure likely saved lives and prevented the Sinaloa cartel from doing business and profiting on the lives of people in our communities.”
Authorities said Los Angeles is “a major transshipment hub where illegal drugs coming from the southwest border are stored in local warehouses, storage units, and residential properties,” and bulk shipments that arrive to the area are typically broken down into smaller quantities and distributed to local and out-of-state dealers.
Fontana police said the investigation into the drug ring is ongoing.
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