The seizures — equivalent to roughly one ton — were made between late August and mid-November as part of multi-agency task forces that also resulted in 1,234 arrests
California Highway Patrol officers deployed on expanded anti-crime details across the state seized nearly 2,000 pounds of illegal drugs, including large quantities of fentanyl and methamphetamine, during the first three months of the operation, the agency reported Thursday.
The seizures — equivalent to roughly one ton — were made between late August and mid-November as part of multi-agency task forces that also resulted in 1,234 arrests, the recovery of 216 stolen vehicles and the removal of 54 firearms from circulation, according to CHP figures.
Among the largest single busts cited by the agency:
– Nov. 14: Approximately 1,500 pounds of methamphetamine, with an estimated street value of $100 million, seized during traffic stops in San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties. Multiple arrests were made.
– Nov. 19: Five pounds of fentanyl and a quantity of cocaine seized in San Francisco during an operation targeting a known dealer in the Tenderloin district. Two arrests and two vehicle impoundments followed.
– Oct. 9: Nearly 60 pounds of fentanyl recovered during a traffic stop in unincorporated Los Angeles County.
The bulk of the drug seizures involved fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine, officials said.
The surge operations, which began expanding statewide in late summer, have focused on the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, San Diego, Sacramento, the Inland Empire and Central Valley. CHP officers have worked alongside local police and sheriff’s departments using intelligence-led enforcement in areas identified as high-crime corridors and open-air drug markets.
Separate concentrated sweeps in Bakersfield, Oakland and Kern County in October and November yielded dozens of felony arrests, more than 20 stolen-vehicle recoveries and 61 pounds of illegally processed marijuana, the CHP said.
State officials have described the deployments as part of broader efforts to address retail theft, fentanyl trafficking and vehicle theft.
