Pam Bondi announces ‘largest seizure’ of fentanyl in US history

WASHINGTON – Attorney General Pam Bondi this week announced that authorities had conducted one of the biggest fentanyl busts in U.S. history, having seized 409 kilos of fentanyl pills and 11.5 kilos of fentanyl powder.

A press conference on the massive bust, held Tuesday in Washington, D.C., also discussed the arrest of 16 people – including a high-ranking member of the Sinaloa Cartel – across multiple states. 

Posters depicting images of individuals arrested and firearms seized are displayed before U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi arrives for a news conference at the Department of Justice on May 6, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Imag

Here’s what to know: 

Pam Bondi announces record-breaking fentanyl seizure 

What we know:

Federal authorities arrested 16 individuals and seized record-breaking quantities of fentanyl, cash, firearms, and vehicles across five states: New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Arizona and Nevada. 

All the fentanyl pills were stamped as oxycodone and came in various strengths, Bondi said.

In addition to the fentanyl, Bondi said that around 35 kilos of methamphetamine, 35 kilos of meth, 7.5 kilos of cocaine and 4.5 kilos of heroin were also seized, as well as $5 million in cash and 49 rifles and pistols.

Sixteen people, including three women, were arrested in the operation. Six of the males are in the U.S. illegally, Bondi said. The leader of the group, Alberto Salazar Amaya, is a high-ranking member of the Sinaloa Cartel, who was living in Salem, Oregon, and drugs were being distributed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Phoenix, Arizona, and in Utah, Bondi said. 

Money, guns, and drugs seized in Albuquerque, New Mexico, are pictured in a provided image. (Credit: DEA)

What they’re saying:

“We’re very proud to announce today a historic Sinaloa Cartel arrest and it marks the most significant victory in our nation’s fight against fentanyl and drug trafficking to date,” Bondi said at the press briefing. “This multi-agency operation, led by DEA, with our local, state, tribal and federal partners targeted one of the largest and most dangerous drug trafficking and foreign terrorist organizations in our country.”

“The DEA seized 11.5 kilos of fentanyl, including an astounding approximately 3 million fentanyl pills,” Bondi added. “The largest seizure in our nation’s history.”

When asked if any of those arrested would be sent back to Mexico, Bondi added that she would like them to “stay in our prisons as long as possible.”

“The amount of drugs, the amount of money, the amount of weapons most of these individuals [had], if convicted, will remain in American prisons. Perhaps Alcatraz,” Bondi said, referring to President Donald Trump’s recent call to reopen the notorious prison in the San Francisco Bay.

By the numbers:

DEA officials said the single seizure of 2.7 million fentanyl pills in Albuquerque equates to “more than 1.5 million lives potentially saved, which is nearly enough fentanyl to kill the majority of people in the entire state of New Mexico.”

The backstory:

The DEA says fentanyl is “the deadliest drug threat” the U.S. has ever faced, often produced and smuggled into the country by Mexican drug cartels like Sinaloa. Fentanyl and other synthetic drugs, such as methamphetamine, are responsible for nearly all the fatal drug overdoses and poisonings in the U.S., according to the drug agency. 

In February, the Trump administration designated the Sinaloa Cartel and seven other criminal groups across Latin America as “Foreign Terrorist Organizations.”