‘Operation Cookout’: Enough fentanyl to kill 14 million seized in massive drug bust by Zachary Halaschak August 30, 2019
35 people were arrested, and enormous amounts of narcotics were seized as part of the largest drug takedown in Virginia in over 15 years.
Law enforcement officers seized over 30 kilograms of fentanyl, 30 kilograms of heroin, and five kilograms of cocaine after busting a drug ring that spanned three states. In addition to the drugs, $700,000 was recovered as well as 24 firearms, according to CBS.
“This opioid crisis is not an issue that is happening someplace else, or to someone else. It’s happening right here in Norfolk,” U.S. Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger said.
In the course of the investigation, dubbed “Operation Cookout,” authorities found that one member of the ring ordered fentanyl from Shanghai. Fentanyl is a powerful artificial opioid that is used as a filler in other drugs and can be fatal in extremely small doses. Most of the chemical comes from labs in China.