Western LA Drug Trafficking Busts, Louisiana, 2024

⏱ 2 min read

In a series of raids across Louisiana’s Western District, federal agents have busted multiple drug trafficking rings, arresting over a dozen defendants, including illegal aliens and local gang members. The operation, which took place between mid-February and mid-March, targeted major traffickers of fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine. The US Attorney’s Office, in partnership with the FBI, DEA, and HSI, led the charge against these criminal organizations, which included the Jalisco Nueva Generacion Cartel and Gulf Cartel.

The defendants, who have not been named, face charges that could land them in prison for decades. According to US Attorney Zachary A. Keller, the operation is part of a broader effort to disrupt transnational criminal organizations and stamp out their footholds in Louisiana communities.

The Homeland Security Task Forces, led by the FBI and HSI, integrated federal, state, and local law enforcement to focus targeted investigations on Foreign Terrorist Organization-designated drug cartels and transnational gangs. The DEA and its partners have seen a range of creative attempts to conceal and transport the drugs, including hiding them in ice cream machines and the cabs of 18-wheelers.

The message from law enforcement is clear: traffickers operating in Louisiana will be pursued and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. As US Attorney Keller warned, ‘we’re doing everything we can to come for you, and when we do, you’re going to be facing charges that can land you in prison for decades.’

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