INGLEWOOD – A joint operation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and Hawthorne Police Department resulted in a record bust of close to a million fentanyl pills in an Inglewood home July 5.
After an Inglewood narcotics detective was indicted on federal drug trafficking charges, it led to speculation that the Inglewood Police Department disbanded its narcotics unit. A claim Mayor James T. Butts denied at the time.
The fact that Inglewood was not apart of this task force, despite having personnel assigned to LA Impact, an interagency task force, continues to lead residents to believe the department remains under possible federal investigation.
A federal search warrant was executed on July 5, 2022 at an Inglewood residence that resulted in the seizure of approximately 1 million fake pills containing fentanyl. The seized fake pills were intended for retail distribution and have an estimated street value of $15 to $20 million dollars.
“This massive seizure disrupted the flow of dangerous amounts of fentanyl into our streets and probably saved many lives,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Bill Bodner. “The deceptive marketing coupled with the ease of accessibility makes these small and seemingly innocuous pills a significant threat to the health and safety of all our communities. A staggering number of teens and young adults are unaware that they are ingesting fentanyl in these fake pills and are being poisoned.”
The greater Los Angeles area is a major transshipment hub where illegal drugs coming from the southwest border are stored in local warehouses, storage units, and residential properties. The bulk shipments of drugs are usually broken down into smaller quantities and transported to other states or distributed to local dealers. The greater Los Angeles area has many international airports, freeways, and bus and train lines that make it easy for shipments to be smuggled to other destinations.
This investigation into the drug trafficking organization is ongoing.
5 Comments
When will Inglewood politicians be held responsible for the illegal acotions of Mayor Butts. Is a embarrassment to the community
Does anyone know where in Inglewood this home is located?
They didn’t say.
Did anyone bother to ask???
I’m sure if you call either Hawthorne PD or the DEA they would be happy to not give it out.