WASHINGTON (7News) -- Twelve people from around the U.S. connected to a drug trafficking ring in D.C. are now facing federal charges after recent arrests in D.C., Maryland, and Los Angeles, according to U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro's office.
Pirro touted the arrests on Tuesday in an update on the year-long investigation into PCP and fentanyl sold in the area of the 2900 block of Knox Place, Southeast, by an alleged D.C.-based drug trafficking ring. She also confirmed 20 residential search warrants were executed in D.C., Maryland, and Los Angeles.
The suspects involved in the alleged trafficking ring reportedly sourced the drugs through a Baltimore-based co-conspirator, who imported the items from California, officials said. One of those shipments, which included 17 gallons of PCP, was stopped by law enforcement outside of Topeka, Kansas.
Of the twelve arrested, seven have already been indicted and turned over to the FBI, while five are facing other drug-related charges, officials said. An additional person, who was already indicted, is still at large.
Officials said 18 firearms were recovered, including an AR-style rifle, a shotgun, and a Draco-style pistol. Also recovered were at least two kilograms of suspected narcotics, over $50,000 in cash, and a pill press federal attorneys said is commonly used to make fentanyl pills.
Six of the eight indicted suspects will face 10-year mandatory minimum sentences, while two face a 15-year compulsory sentence.