Last Updated on May 29, 2021
A massive drug bust targeting the infamous Sinaloa Cartel in the wealthy DC suburbs nabbed millions of dollars in cash and resulted in the seizure of thousands of pounds of lethal narcotics bound for America’s streets. According to authorities in Loudoun County, Virginia, where the largest of busts took place, the murderous Mexican cartel had enough fentanyl on hand to twice kill every man, woman, and child in the county of nearly half a million people.
Through an investigation dating back to 2017 and concluding in 2020, authorities directly connected drug traffickers in the wealthy DC suburbs with the Sinaloa Cartel of Mexico, an infamous crime syndicate once led by Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman . The massive law enforcement effort, dubbed Operation Angels Envy, remained under wraps until this week when its conclusion was announced publicly. Officials say the investigation eventually stretched across 7 states, with authorities seizing enough drugs to cause deaths of genocidal proportions.
Just over one year ago, in February of 2020, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office executed the largest drug bust in county history as part of Operation Angels Envy, Sheriff Mike Chapman announced this week. In total, county authorities and their federal partners say they seized more than 50 kilograms of cocaine, 2 kilograms of fentanyl, 1 kilogram of heroin, 6 pounds of marijuana, 150 grams of crack cocaine, 7 guns, and more than $1.4 million in cash as part of the historic drug bust, in total carrying an estimated street value of $6.5 million.
“We seized enough fentanyl to kill every man, woman, and child in Loudoun County two times over,” said Sheriff Chapman. “Much like these drugs having a far-reaching impact in our country, I am proud to say the work of our detectives in Loudoun County in combination with other DEA Task Force members had an even further impact on the operations of the Sinaloa Cartel,” a statement from the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office attributed to Chapman read. “Our law enforcement community must continue to fight this scourge and protect our citizens,” it continued.
Across the DC region as a whole, with portions of the law enforcement operation reportedly stretching into Maryland and the District, a total of 33 individuals were charged, and authorities seized a total of 473 pounds of methamphetamine, 42 kilograms of fentanyl, 9 kilograms of heroin, 129 kilograms of cocaine, 5,100 pounds of other drugs, over $5.3 million in American currency, 114 firearms, and over $700,000 worth of jewelry and vehicles.
According to law enforcement, the total of 42 kilograms of fentanyl seized from the Sinaloa Cartel could have killed as many as 21 million Americans, with most of the supply streaming into the United States through the unsecured southern border with Mexico.
