SEATTLE — Bremerton police are being credited with helping to start a lengthy, multi-state federal investigation into a Mexican drug trafficking ring accused of running multiple types of drugs, including counterfeit pain pills laced with the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl.

“An agency the size of Bremerton can impact crime on a larger scale when it is able to partner with agencies like the” Drug Enforcement Agency, Bremerton Police Chief Jim Burchett said in a statement issued Thursday.

It is unclear the exact size of the drug trafficking ring or what effect the busts will have on staunching the overall supply of drugs to the area.

The latest ring to be busted was said to have trafficked heroin, fentanyl, cocaine and meth in Washington state, New York, Arizona, Oregon, California, Tennessee and Utah, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western Washington District.

Arrests made earlier this week involved more than 400 officers and dozens of local, state and federal agencies.

Locally, the group is accused of distributing heroin, meth and fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone pills, according to the statement. A California cryptocurrency trader is accused of helping to launder and transfer the money to Mexico.

A Nov. 29 indictment from U.S. District Court in Tacoma lists 31 people charged as part of the drug ring. The statement from Thursday lists 29 people arrested from Puget Sound counties. None of those arrested are listed as being Kitsap County residents.

The operation — started 18 months ago with seizures by Bremerton police — spanned through several neighboring counties. During the investigation, authorities seized about 22 pounds of heroin, 13 of which was found in the engine compartment of a semi-truck, according to the statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington. Additionally, authorities seized “thousands” of counterfeit oxycodone pills believed to contain fentanyl. The indictment says authorities also seized meth.

Fentanyl, blamed for many fatal overdoses, is often mixed into other drugs to increase their potency.  A Washington State Patrol trooper had to be treated for accidental exposure to the drug.

As authorities arrested those suspected of participating in the ring earlier this week, 39 firearms were seized. In the indictment for the top suspect in Western Washington, Carlos Eduardo Lopez Hernandez, 22, from Kent, attorneys wrote that authorities seized in August $164,000 from an Auburn apartment.

DEA Special Agent in Charge Keith Weis said this pipeline has been shut down.

“Those profiting from pushing illicit opioids such as fentanyl and heroin into our most vulnerable communities will be met with a significant law enforcement response,” Weis said in the statement.

After a bust two years ago of a Mexican drug ring, where 60 pounds of meth were said to have been seized, a researcher at the University of Washington said local users may see a short disruption but because of strong demand, other drug traffickers could be expected to fill in the gap.

Earlier this year, members of two drug trafficking organizations — apparently operating independently of each other — were sentenced to state and federal prison.

The leader of one of the networks, said to be have been responsible for moving 200 pounds or more of meth through the area, was sentenced a year ago to 10 years in prison.

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