KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency division serving Missouri and Kansas announced the results of a year-long operation targeting two Mexico-based drug cartels on Monday.
The DEA's "Operation Last Mile," which ran from May 1, 2022 to May 1, 2023, targeted operatives and distributors with the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels, which the DEA says are responsible for the "vast majority" of fentanyl and methamphetamine in the U.S. killing American citizens.
DEA St. Louis Division, which operates in Missouri, Kansas and southern Illinois, worked with federal, state and local law enforcement to conduct a total of 29 investigations and 72 arrests as part of the year-long operation. A total of 1.3 million fentanyl pills, 100 pounds of fentanyl powder, 200 pounds of methamphetamine, 405 firearms and nearly $500,000 in assets were seized by the division.
"DEA recognizes that even here in the heartland of America, cartels are taking lives from our communities," said Michael A. Davis, DEA St. Louis Division chief and special agent in charge. "As Operation Last Mile indicates, we are constantly in search of those taking loved ones away from us through the poison of fentanyl and methamphetamine. Let this serve as a warning: if you are supporting the illegal activities of these drug cartels, we will be looking for you."
Nationwide, "Operation Last Mile" led to 1,436 investigations, 3,337 arrests and the seizure of just under 44 million fentanyl pills and 6,500 pounds of fentanyl powder — equaling 193 million potentially fatal fentanyl doses that were removed from U.S. communities, according to the DEA. The national operation also led to the seizure of 91,000 pounds of methamphetamine, 8,497 firearms and over $100 million in assets.
Over 1,100 of the national investigations involved social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, WhatsApp and more.
"The Cartels use social media and encrypted platforms to run their operations and reach out to victims, and when their product kills Americans, they simply move on to try to victimize the millions of other Americans who are social media users,” DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said in a statement.
Last month, the DEA and Department of Justice announced that 28 members and associates of the Sinaloa Cartel were indicted.
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