Eleven Sentenced in Major Midwest Meth and Fentanyl Drug Bust

Authorities sentenced 11 individuals to a total of 123 years for their roles in a large meth-fentanyl trafficking operation in the Midwest

Eleven Sentenced in Major Midwest Meth and Fentanyl Drug Bust
Eleven Sentenced in Major Midwest Meth and Fentanyl Drug Bust

Indianapolis: So, a big drug bust just went down. Eleven people got hit with a total of 123 years in prison. They were part of a drug ring moving meth and fentanyl using trains across the Midwest.

The charges were serious, like conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and using communication facilities for illegal stuff. They were in cahoots with a Mexican cartel, moving nearly 400 pounds of meth and over seven kilograms of fentanyl from September 2021 to November 2022.

The ringleader, Erick “Bustos” Romero, and his crew were caught in October 2022. DEA agents found a whopping 68 kilograms of meth and more than seven kilograms of fentanyl hidden in a train car in Nebraska. They had welded the car shut to hide the stash.

Most of the drugs were headed for the streets of Indianapolis, using all sorts of methods like the Postal Service and smuggling by land and rail. When agents arrested two other members in December 2022, they found nine PVC pipes filled with meth, all marked “Hecho en Mexico.” They also seized 20 firearms from the group.

U.S. Attorney Zachary Myers made it clear that these international cartels are flooding communities with dangerous drugs. He emphasized that every part of this operation contributes to the overdose crisis, which hit Indiana hard with 2,682 overdose deaths in 2022.

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