SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - During a news conference Tuesday morning, Federal, State and Local law enforcement leadership presented details about a two-month fentanyl enforcement surge called Operation Blue Lotus.
This operation focused on the Southwest border, resulting in the seizure of more than 4,000 pounds of fentanyl. And has led to the arrest of more than 200 alleged smugglers, traffickers, and dealers.
These seizures came as a result of targeted inspections at the border. Officials say keeping these drugs off the streets saves lives.
U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman, for the Southern District of California, said, “We will never let up .. lives depend on it, and justice demands it.”
And while fentanyl is a problem across the country, here in San Diego, according to the District Attorney’s Office, in one year, 814 people were lost to fentanyl. Of that number, 12 of those who were killed were under the age of 18, with the youngest being just 13 years old.
District Attorney Summer Stephan says, “We need to synergize our power in order to defeat a very big monster with multiple heads, which is what fentanyl is.”
