FBI director Kash Patel hails record drug bust; drugs seized could have killed nearly 50 million

FBI manager Kash Patel praised his agents arsenic good arsenic those from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for taking down a large cause operation successful Atlanta, resulting successful the removal of 33 firearms and implicit 252 kilograms of drugs valued astatine implicit $9 million, from the streets.

The FBI, alongside the DEA and authorities and section authorities executed 3 hunt warrants past Thursday, resulting successful the apprehension of 47-year-old Bartholomew Keeton Harralson.

A national expansive assemblage returned an indictment charging Harralson with 3 cause trafficking and limb possession crimes related to the cause trafficking operation.

U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said Harralson is charged with possession with intent to administer controlled substances, possession of a firearm successful furtherance of a cause trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. If convicted, helium faces astatine slightest 40 years successful situation and the anticipation of beingness down bars.

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FBI Director Kash Patel said the FBI is investigating the incidental arsenic a "terror attack." (AP/J. Scott Applewhite)

"I’m arrogant of the outstanding enactment by our agents and grateful for the beardown concern of the DEA successful this associated effort," Patel said successful a statement to Fox News Digital. "This was a large takedown – dozens of weapons, ample quantities of fentanyl and meth, and cardinal members of a blase cause web taken disconnected the streets. Together, we’ve dealt a superior stroke to those profiting disconnected addiction and reaffirmed our unwavering committedness to protecting American communities."

FBI Special Agent In Charge Paul Brown said the FBI and DEA executed hunt warrants astatine 3 locations – 1 successful Atlanta, 1 successful South Fulton, and different successful Douglas County.

On June 5, instrumentality enforcement executed a national hunt warrant astatine Harralson’s Atlanta-area residence, and erstwhile inside, they located implicit 56 kilograms of fentanyl, 84 kilograms of methamphetamine, astir 10 kilograms of heroin, and astir 4 kilograms of cocaine, each successful the signifier of powders and hundreds of thousands of pressed pills.

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FBI Atlanta and the DEA unopen down a large cause cognition resulting successful implicit $9 cardinal worthy of drugs and 33 firearms being taken disconnected the streets. (Fox)

Law enforcement besides recovered 9 firearms astatine the residence, including 1 that was converted to run arsenic a instrumentality gun, $145,000 successful cash, and a publication titled, "How to Avoid Federal Drug Conspiracy & Firearms Charges." The Department of Justice said Harralson was arrested astatine the scene.

A 2nd hunt warrant was executed astatine Harralson’s Douglasville residence, wherever instrumentality enforcement allegedly recovered 2 ample pill property machines susceptible of pressing up to 25,000 pills per hour, and 3 hydraulic presses utilized to signifier kilogram-sized bricks of narcotics.

The hunt besides resulted successful the find of implicit 37 kilograms of fentanyl, astir 13 kilograms of methamphetamine, implicit 8 kilograms of heroin and much than six kilograms of cocaine.

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FBI Atlanta and the DEA unopen down a large cause cognition resulting successful implicit $9 cardinal worthy of drugs and 33 firearms being taken disconnected the streets. (Fox)

The drugs, the DOJ alleged, were successful the signifier of pulverization and hundreds of thousands of pressed pills.

Additionally, instrumentality enforcement searched a instrumentality store down Harralson’s Douglasville residence and allegedly recovered astir 1,375 pounds of binding cause utilized to property pills, 564 punch dies to people the pills, 19 firearms, 4 drum-style magazines and a important magnitude of ammunition.

Brown told reporters that 2 ballistic benignant vests were allegedly recovered successful 1 of the residences

"Right now, we person an American dying each 7 minutes from drug overdoses, and homicides hap doubly each hour," Brown said. "Our caller FBI director, Kash Patel, has fixed our workforce a elemental mandate, crush convulsive crime, and this is simply a large measurement toward that extremity successful metro Atlanta. This large cognition is unopen down, and it’s conscionable 1 illustration of the enactment the FBI and DEA agents proceed to bash each and each day."

DEA Atlanta Acting Special Agent successful Charge Jae E. Chung told reporters the cognition resulted successful the largest fentanyl seizure to day successful the authorities of Georgia.

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The 97 kilograms of fentanyl that was seized has the imaginable to termination astir 48 cardinal Americans, Chung said

"The DEA and our partners are moving hard time successful and time retired to support their communities from the dangers and unit associated with cause trafficking," helium said. "DEA's priorities are to prevention American lives and to support our communities safe. We volition proceed to leverage each partnership, each assets disposable to guarantee the cause dealers who administer poison, similar fentanyl and different illicit drugs done our communities are brought to justice."

The FBI and DEA conducted the take-down arsenic portion of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide inaugural that streamlines efforts and resources wrong the Department of Homeland Security to not conscionable ace down connected amerciable migration but besides execute the full elimination of cartels and transnational transgression organizations (TCOs) and support our communities from the "perpetrators of convulsive crimes."

Chung told reporters the ample quantities of drugs discovered successful the bust showed they were being provided by cartels successful Mexico.