DEA breaks up Atlanta-based Mexican drug ring

ATLANTA (FOX 5 Atlanta) - The Drug Enforcement Agency calls it a major takedown of a Mexican Cartel Drug operation with deep roots to metro Atlanta. DEA Special Agent-In-Charge Robert Murphy said Thursday was a busy day for his agents.

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"We arrested over 20 individuals, 15 of those individuals were here illegally," said Murphy

He said the DEA along with 20 arrests, agents seized 115 kilos of meth, four-and-a-half kilos of heroin, 30 kilos of marijuana, a cache of weapons, and 12,000 counterfeit Fentanyl tablets. Murphy said the deadly pills were pressed in Mexico to be sold as oxycodone here.

"People think they are buying Oxycodone pills, that's what they are being sold as, that's what they are made to look like, what they are taking was pure Fentanyl and that's why we see the overdoses that we are seeing," said Murphy.

Also seized, $125,000 cash and meth-making materials.

The busts occurred at nine locations, including at Fulton County, East Point, Clayton County and an apartment complex on the west side of Atlanta on Huff Road.

Isaiah Sayles, who lives at the complex, was surprised by the news.

"It's new to me so it's pretty scary to hear about this that 20 Mexican cartel people got arrested here today," said Sayles.

Agent Murphy was told a room of reporters gathered at the Federal Courthouse in Atlanta Thursday afternoon the Mexican Drug Cartel in Sinaloa, Mexico made a huge impact by smuggling drugs and more through Texas into metro Atlanta.

He said at one point, DEA agents learned of a contract hit on a woman who owed the cartel thousands of dollars.

"They wanted this person tortured, killed and they even identified a house that was a rental house they were goons to use. We were able to intervene based on the information we had and stop that from happening," said Murphy.

The investigation started in August of last year and Involved the DEA, the US Marshals Office, FBI and area police, all involved trying to dismantle the Mexican cartel's grip in metro Atlanta.

"We're not going to stop the fight we're going to continue it, we know what's at stake," said Murphy.

He also said twenty other suspects were arrested earlier in the investigation.