Operation Dark Nodes: BPD, Homeland Security, FBI announce results of a 'transnational,' 2-year operation
Nov. 5—A "transnational" two-year operation to dismantle a criminal gang culminated in the arrests of 27 people in Bakersfield and the seizure of dozens of firearms and narcotics by local and federal law enforcement agencies, officials said Friday during a press conference held at the Bakersfield Police Department headquarters.
"Countless hours, nights and weekends" resulted in the confiscation of 55 rifles and silencers — some of which were automatic weapons — seven pounds of heroin, more than 30 pounds of crystal methamphetamine, 6.5 pounds of fentanyl and $60,000 in U.S. currency, said Tatum King, a special agent in charge with Homeland Security Investigations.
The U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of California unveiled criminal complaints against 12 individuals who face drug, firearms and conspiracy charges while the Kern County District Attorney's Office will prosecute 17 people with related charges.
"(Criminal street gangs) believe they have success because of the violence they exact on others through the use of illegal firearms and the peddling of their poison to people who become horrific addicts," said Kern County District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer. "They ruin people's lives."
Bakersfield Police Chief Greg Terry said hundreds of thousands of lives were saved with the pounds of fentanyl seized. There was enough of the deadly drug taken off the streets to make 1.5 million fentanyl pills, King said.
Operation Dark Nodes began in Bakersfield two years ago and it ultimately led to the destruction of a portion of a transnational drug network, King said. He added their investigation is still ongoing, but multiple arrests across 21 locations were made Thursday in Bakersfield, which prompted the agencies to announce their results.
Two others were arrested in Los Angeles prior to Thursday's operation as part of the effort, King said.
Law enforcement officers used informants affiliated with the Sureños gang who negotiated drug transactions with suspected dealers and provided this information to investigating agents, according to criminal complaints filed in federal court. Officers also wiretapped phone calls and examined text messages describing alleged drug deals.
"The methamphetamine-trafficking problem has gone from bad to worse during my 20 years in the U.S. Attorney's Office," said Phillip Talbert, the U.S. attorney of the Eastern District of California. "The volume of methamphetamine that we see trafficked is up. The purity levels are up and prices are way, way down."
Fentanyl is produced in China and India, King said, and similarly, heroin is manufactured in a number of places. These drugs may come through the Mexican border, which is how the operation extended beyond the United States, King said.
"We want to go after the entire network," King added.
Highway 99 is a major thoroughfare for drug and gun trafficking, which leads to gang activity in the Central Valley. The close proximity to the Mexican border also allows this area to flourish with gang activity, King added.
"Last year, the (Drug Enforcement Administration) seized enough fentanyl to kill every American," he noted.
Lauren Horwood, public information officer for the U.S. Eastern District of California, stated in a news release the defendants charged in federal court face various maximum sentences between 10 years and life in prison if convicted. They could pay $250,000 to $10 million in fines, she added.
Ishani Desai can be reached at 661-395-7417. Follow her on Twitter: @_ishanidesai.
