LOS ANGELES _ Thirteen suspected members of a notorious Mexican drug cartel are behind bars, and more than $10 million worth of illicit drugs have been seized as part of a monthslong investigation in Ventura County, authorities announced Tuesday.
The arrests, which authorities say include high-ranking Sinaloa drug cartel members, were made as part of a multiagency investigation that began last year, Ventura County Undersheriff Gary Pentis said.
"This type of economic seizure dismantles and disrupts these organizations," Pentis said. "I hope there's a significant disruption because of this."
The names of those arrested were not immediately released.
Containers with the seized drugs _ which include 285 pounds of methamphetamine, 121 pounds of cocaine, 13 pounds of Mexican heroin, more than 6 pounds of fentanyl and 600 fentanyl pills that are branded to look like oxycodone _ were displayed on tables during Tuesday's news conference.
Pentis said the drugs were smuggled from Mexico to stash houses in Southern California, where they were distributed to lower-level dealers in Los Angeles and Ventura counties. Authorities say the proceeds from drug sales are then sent back to the cartel in Mexico.
One of the first drugs seized as part of the investigation was fentanyl, a potent opioid that is 50 times stronger than heroin. The white powder is increasingly being mixed into other drugs to produce a stronger high, authorities said.
Pentis likened law enforcement's cracking down on illegal drug trafficking to a "constant cat-and-mouse game."
"This is just one of the groups," Pentis said. "It's a huge problem, but the problem we're centering on is the deaths and destruction caused from fentanyl. Why fentanyl? It's cheap and it improves potency. It's about dollars and nothing else."
Overdose deaths in Ventura County rose 42 percent from 2016 to 2017, in part because of the rise of fentanyl use, the undersheriff said.
Data show overdose deaths also are rising statewide. Fentanyl deaths in California tripled between 2016 and 2017, according to state health department data.
Authorities said they intend to make additional arrests as part of the investigation.
