Seventeen alleged drug traffickers are facing charges after authorities say they ran a sprawling methamphetamine pipeline that pumped hundreds of pounds of the drug every month across Northern California.
Prosecutors in Placer County announced Thursday that the suspects were charged with crimes including conspiracy and transporting large quantities of methamphetamine for sale after an eight-month undercover probe dubbed “Operation Meltdown.” The investigation began in July 2025 when an undercover detective bought several pounds of meth from a suspected dealer in North Auburn, according to the Placer County Sheriff’s Office. What started as a single case quickly snowballed into what investigators described as a major trafficking network centered in Sacramento and feeding drugs into Placer County.
Authorities believe the organization was distributing about 500 pounds of meth every month across Sacramento and Placer counties. On March 12, nearly two dozen law-enforcement agencies fanned out across the region, raiding 25 homes and locations in coordinated search and arrest operations that led to multiple suspects being hauled to the Placer County Jail. During the sweep, investigators said they seized 65 pounds of meth, more than 7 kilograms of cocaine, about half a pound of MDMA, 26 firearms, over $100,000 in cash and what they described as a DMT lab.
Sheriff’s officials say some members of the alleged ring had ties to a Mexican drug trafficking organization and Sacramento-area drug and gun trafficking gangs. All 17 defendants have appeared in court and pleaded not guilty, prosecutors said.
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