Operation “Hotline Bling,” which started in early 2023, culminated with 15 arrests and significant drug seizures, including methamphetamine and quantities of fentanyl that potentially could produce 10 million lethal doses.
Beginning in March 2023, the Drug Enforcement Administration Riverside District Office and the Riverside Police Department, with assistance from the United States Postal Inspection Service began the operation. During the investigation, agents seized a total of approximately 376 pounds of methamphetamine, 37.4 pounds of fentanyl, 600,000 fentanyl tablets, 1.4 kilograms of cocaine, and seven firearms. The drugs seized in this investigation have an estimated “street value” of $16 million.
The investigation culminated in three federal indictments that charged a total of six defendants and the issuance of 16 state arrest warrants. During the course of the investigation, agents developed information regarding a corrupt Riverside County Correctional Deputy. The DEA and Riverside Police provided investigative leads to the Riverside County Sheriff Department, ultimately assisting in the arrest of the deputy while he was in possession of 104 pounds of fentanyl pills.
Fentanyl is the leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 18 and 45; a single two-milligram dose can be fatal. It is estimated that this investigation prevented the distribution of more than 10 million potentially lethal doses of fentanyl within the Inland Empire and throughout the United States.