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DOJ And DEA Announce Major Drug Busts Under “Operation Take Back America” Initiative

Massive Seizures of Fentanyl and Meth Highlight Cartel’s Reach and New Sentencing Guidelines

The U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) today announced a significant series of drug busts conducted as part of the ongoing “Operation Take Back America” initiative, underscoring the federal government’s intensified efforts to combat drug trafficking, cartel operations, and illegal immigration.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday, detailed several successful raids carried out over the Fourth of July holiday weekend. Among the most notable seizures was an operation in Columbia, South Carolina, where DEA agents confiscated a staggering 71 kilograms of fentanyl and 20 kilograms of methamphetamine.

“This is near the University of South Carolina, where we all know dealers will often target college kids,” Attorney General Bondi stated, emphasizing the insidious tactics employed by drug traffickers. “They put these drugs in pill form to go after our kids.”

Further demonstrating the breadth of cartel operations, Bondi highlighted a seizure in Fresno, California, where 24 pounds of carfentanil, a potent opioid, were found disguised as legitimate prescription pills.

Attorney General Bondi reiterated the administration’s firm stance against transnational criminal organizations, stating that cartels are increasingly exploiting illegal immigrants to facilitate drug smuggling into the United States.

“The DOJ will continue to prosecute these violent criminals,” Bondi affirmed. “If you are dealing in these drugs to Americans or any citizen in this world, you’re a violent criminal, and we will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.”

Since its launch in January, “Operation Take Back America” has led to the seizure of millions of pounds of illicit drugs, according to Attorney General Bondi. She credited the initiative’s enhanced capabilities to the recently passed “big, beautiful bill,” which has allocated $3.3 billion to the DEA to bolster its anti-drug trafficking efforts.

The “Operation Take Back America” initiative, as outlined by the DOJ, is designed to combat “illegal immigration, eliminating cartels and ending illegal trafficking of dangerous drugs and human beings.” It encompasses rigorous investigations and prosecutions related to immigration enforcement, including actions against “sanctuary jurisdictions” that obstruct immigration objectives and direct targeting of cartels identified in Executive Order 14157, which designates such organizations as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists.

In a move to further deter fentanyl trafficking, Attorney General Bondi announced a new policy: anyone found in possession of 100 grams or more of any fentanyl-related substance will now face a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison.

“President Trump, the Department of Justice and the great men and women at the DEA will continue to fight to make America safe again,” Bondi concluded, reaffirming the administration’s commitment to national security and public safety.

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