COLUMBUS — Approximately 22,000 fentanyl pills and nearly 42 pounds of suspected fentanyl seized in a drug bust executed by the Central Ohio Major Drug Interdiction/HIDTA Task Force is “proof positive of why we need a stronger southern border,” Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said Thursday.
The task force, formed under the state attorney general’s Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission and led by the Columbus police division, completed the drug interdiction this week that yielded narcotics Yost and Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant said have an estimated street value of more than $2 million.
Thursday, Yost and Bryant announced the arrests of three drug traffickers in the fentanyl seizure.
“This case is proof positive of why we need a stronger southern border that restrains evil – drug traffickers are bringing their poison right to our doorsteps and into our communities,” Yost said.
On Dec. 20, the task force executed three search warrants and seized 19 kilograms (nearly 42 pounds) of suspected fentanyl, approximately 22,000 fentanyl pills, two handguns and a rifle.
Jessica Alejandra Delacruz-Toscano, 33; Raymundo Martinez-Meza, 29; and Ivan Eduardo Torres-Meza, 29, are the three people arrested and charged with felony drug trafficking.
The two men are believed to be in the United States illegally. Delacruz-Toscano is believed to be in the country awaiting approval. All three are being detained in the Franklin County Corrections Center.
According to Yost’s office, the bust culminates the task force’s investigation, which determined that the suspects were receiving large quantities of narcotics, including fentanyl and cocaine, and distributing narcotics through central Ohio and surrounding areas.
This is the latest success by the task force as they work to combat the opioid epidemic.
The task force includes the Columbus Division of Police, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Madison County Sheriff’s Office and the Gahanna Police Department.
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