2 days ago
Collin County Sheriff's Office Nets Major Drug Busts, Including Years-Long Operation
The Collin County Sheriff's Office announced two major drug busts – one of which was years in the making.
The sheriff's office announced a drug bust on August 12, which resulted in the arrest of a smuggler and the seizure of fentanyl, cocaine, and likely drug money. The same day, officers also arrested two suspects for smuggling large amounts of marijuana.
The North Texas Sheriff's Criminal Interdiction Unit (NTXCIU) performed both busts.
The first operation 'took years,' and helped bring back a 'violent offender' from Mexico to face justice, according to a statement from the sheriff's office. NTXCIU also identified a suspected smuggler and seized a 'significant amount' of suspected drug money, 30,000 fentanyl pills, and 18 kg of cocaine – enough to kill 15,000 people.
'Because of these efforts and strong law enforcement partnerships, a drug trafficker, rapist, and murderer is headed toward federal prison,' the sheriff's office posted.
Officers with NTXCIU also busted a large marijuana shipment on August 12.
'This is another example of NTXCIU's dedication to stopping the flow of illegal drugs through Texas and keeping our communities safe,' the sheriff's office posted.
A representative from the sheriff's office told The Dallas Express she could not share any further information, especially since the first case is in federal court.
Mexico extradited 26 cartel leaders – including Los Cuinis cartel leader Abigael González Valencia, aligned with the dangerous Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion – to the U.S. on August 13, as The Dallas Express reported at the time. This was part of a deal with the Department of Justice.
Authorities often use the DFW area to bring cartel leaders to justice, as NBC DFW reported. For years, federal officials have flown cartel leaders into McKinney National Airport, where they are brought before federal trial in Plano and Sherman.
Sheriffs from Collin, Grayson, Hunt, Parker, Rockwall, Smith, Tarrant, and Wise counties joined in 2018 to establish the NTXCIU, aiming to combat drug trafficking across the region, as The Dallas Express previously reported. They held a press conference last year, explaining how cartels are using the Dallas-Fort Worth area as a 'distribution center' for narcotics.
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