Leader of Sinaloa-linked drug trafficking ring arrested in Salem, Oregon

The U.S. government says it made the largest fentanyl drug bust in the nation's history, arresting 16 people, including a man living in Salem.

Attorney General Pam Bondi reported roughly 11.5 kilos of fentanyl, including three million fentanyl pills, were seized in New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah.

The leader of the drug trafficking organization, 36-year-old Heriberto Salazar Amaya, who is linked to the Sinaloa Cartel, was arrested.

She alleges he was living in Salem before his arrest.

Authorities also seized $5 million in cash -- $2.8 million of that in Salem -- firearms, and several kilos of meth, cocaine, and heroin.

According to the U.S. Justice Department, law enforcement agents also seized $50,000 in jewelry and a Mercedes-AMG and a Ford F-150 in Salem.

Bondi said the operation was made possible by over 55,000 hours of law enforcement investigations.

"This is a really dangerous job that these DEA agents face every day, but they are getting very dangerous drugs off of our streets each day," she said.

Bondi added that the three million fentanyl pills were stamped as Oxycodone, which is prescribed by doctors to relieve severe pain.

Oregon House Republican Leader Christine Drazan released a statement saying in part, "Today should be a wake-up call that if we don’t modernize our sanctuary state laws, Oregon will continue to be a haven for dangerous criminals instead of taking them off our streets.”

Oregon Rep. Jeff Helfrich, R-District 52, also released a statement.

"Oregon should immediately end our sanctuary state policies and work with federal law enforcement to deport these dangerous criminals and stop the flow of drugs over our border," he said.

In her news conference, Bondi said Salazar Amaya was in the country illegally.

Senator Deb Patterson (D-Salem) released the following statement:

“Getting deadly drugs out of circulation is a win for public safety, and now the people involved will face the U.S. legal system. The weapons seized as part of this enforcement action reveal a dangerous gap in the law. Fully automatic conversion devices were part of this drug operation. These are rapid-fire devices that turn semi-automatic weapons into machine guns, and they are legal today in Oregon. That’s a vulnerability the legislature needs to close for the safety of all Oregonians.”