FBI: Tacoma, WA gang used women, perfume to smuggle fentanyl through SeaTac Airport
FBI: Tacoma gang used women, perfume to smuggle fentanyl though SeaTac
The FBI says 15 people have now been arrested, including members of a violent Tacoma street gang as part of a massive fentanyl trafficking bust in Pierce County.
TACOMA, Wash. - The FBI says 15 people have now been arrested, including members of a violent Tacoma street gang as part of a massive fentanyl trafficking bust in Pierce County. The arrests follow an 18-month investigation into a drug ring, allegedly run by some members of the Knoccout Crips, according to the FBI.
But, it wasn't just male gang members who were involved. The FBI says the drugs were flowing into Tacoma with the help of a group of jet-setting women.
The backstory:
The FBI says for that group of women who were flying through Sea-Tac, it wasn't just clothes and toiletries that they stuffed in their bags.
Agents say their bags were bulging with hundreds of fentanyl pills or hefty pounds of powder as they made their way through the airport. They say the drugs were hidden specifically in checked bags in order to bypass security.
"They were definitely aware this was an operation and were taking steps to protect it," said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Seattle field office.
Herrington says the checked bags were carefully packaged for transport.
"To try to evade and defeat those security measures," he said. Using methods "such as shrink-wrapping the luggage."
The women who were transporting the bags also didn't forget the perfume, as the FBI says there was a generous amount used on the bags themselves.
"Apparently they were doused heavily in perfume to try to mask odors," said Herrington.
"Over the last 18 months, law enforcement carefully tracked the activities of this drug trafficking ring, seizing kilogram quantities of fentanyl pills and powder from checked luggage at Sea-Tac airport," said Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller.
Agents called it a courier network, with the women acting as "drug mules" flying to Phoenix to pick up the drugs to bring back to Tacoma. In just two months, Herrington said they received nearly 100 pounds.
"I believe the 80 pounds was spread across Sea-Tac and Baltimore," said Herrington.
Over the last 36 hours, law enforcement said officers and agents also seized a long list of drugs during the take-down.
"Gang activity has no place in our community," said Tacoma Police Chief Patti Jackson.
"The investigation was initiated in response to a string of homicides and other violent acts that were attributed to the gang," said Colin Jackson, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations in Seattle.
FBI agents say 23 weapons were also seized, some reported as stolen.
"Some of these individuals are off the street, no longer able to engage in the assaults, the drive-by shootings and some of the other violence they were engaged in to protect their drug trade," said Herrington.
The bust was part of an operation called "Summer Heat" targeting violent offenses.
More than 100 officers were involved in Wednesday's bust, according to the FBI.
The Source: Information in this story came from the FBI, Acting United States Attorney Teal Luthy Miller, Tacoma Police and Homeland Security Investigations.
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