DEA's "Project Delirium" Makes Massive Meth and Marijuana Snatch

200 pounds of meth, 200 pounds of marijuana, one pound of cocaine and three pounds of heroin were seized in San Diego this week, as the DEA arrested 24 people for smuggling the merchandise across the border from Mexico. An 18-month sting operation, "Project Delirium," has targeted American-based suspects with ties to La Familia, a bloodthirsty drug-trafficking operation based in Michoacan, Mexico. Among the main suspects are Mayra Arroyo, 24, and Roberto Buenrostro Duran, 23. Officers found 18 pounds of meth buried in Arroyo's back yard, while Buenrostro was apparently stopped by agents while wearing a backpack stuffed with the drug. Along with Francisco Saucedo, 46, they were charged with possession of methamphetamine for sale, transportation of methamphetamine, and employing a minor to carry a controlled substance. They pleaded not guilty and are being held on $500,000 bond. The prosecutor laments that they face "just" five to eight years of jail time if convicted. But even such sizable seizures are no more than drops in the drug war ocean. Project Delirium has seen the arrests of 1,980 people in the US. The authorities have also nabbed $60 million cash, 2,770 pounds of meth, 6,000 pounds of cocaine, 1,000 pounds of heroin, 14,000 pounds of marijuana and $3.8 million in other assets. Multiple law enforcement organizations have been involved, including US Border Patrol and the San Diego Sheriff’s Department.