BURIEN, Wash — The King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) has concluded a huge drug bust, which they said put a dent in the supply of fentanyl on the streets.
A week ago, KCSO detectives served multiple warrants in western Washington and seized hundreds of pounds of drugs during its operation.
After a yearlong investigation, detectives with the KCSO and the Burien Police Department reflected on their most recent drug bust.
“At least for the sheriff’s office this is if not the largest, one of the largest that we’ve had,” said KCSO Sgt. Corbett Ford.
Ford said 12 suspects were arrested Dec. 21 spanning from Snohomish County down to Pierce County as part of the bust. Court documents revealed six of those suspects were part of a drug trafficking organization that worked out of two homes in Des Moines.
“Ultimately this slows down the influx of drugs and controlled substances of this nature into our region,” said Ford.
Four hundred pounds of methamphetamine, 478,000 fentanyl pills and more than $500,000 in cash were seized during the operation, among other drugs and weapons, according to Ford.
Fentanyl was involved in 70% of King County overdose deaths this past year, according to Public Health — Seattle & King County.
“The more they can make brings down the price, the more available it is for everybody, right,” said Ford. “So, it’s kind of a supply and demand type of thing. The more there is you start to see the effects of more and more people trying it.”
Ford said this recent bust is huge for their agency. But Ford acknowledged there’s much more work to be done.
“When one door closes, another door opens," Ford said. "As one thing ends, another thing begins. So it’s a constant battle if you will against each other.”
Ford said part of the KCSO’s efforts to address the growing drug problem is to address their staffing shortage. They have 100 vacancies to fill.