Operation Imperial Emperor seized 27,229 pounds of marijuana; 400 arrested
A 20-month DEA investigation into a Mexico-based trafficking organization ended on 28 February 2007 with more than 400 arrests nationwide and seizures of 27,229 pounds of marijuana plus cocaine, methamphetamine, cash, weapons and vehicles.
🇺🇸 San Diego, California (nationwide operation) · United States
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales announced in San Diego on 28 February 2007 the
culmination of Operation Imperial Emperor, a 20-month DEA-led investigation into the
Mexico-based Victor Emilio Cazares-Gastellum trafficking and money-laundering organization.[1]More
than 400 people were arrested nationwide, including more than 66 that morning in
California, Arizona and Illinois, and charges were unsealed against 139 defendants in
several federal districts.[1][2]
What was seized
Agents seized about $45.2 million in cash, 27,229 pounds (about 12.4 tonnes) of
marijuana, 9,512 pounds of cocaine, 705 pounds of methamphetamine, 227 pounds of
crystal meth (“ice”) and 11 pounds of heroin, plus $6.1 million in property and assets,
roughly 100 weapons and 94 vehicles.[1][2]The organization moved multi-ton cocaine
shipments and large amounts of marijuana and methamphetamine monthly from Mexico across
the Southwest border, breaking bulk in Los Angeles and San Diego for distribution
across the United States.[1]
Case data
Every number and detail the sources state, with the sources that state it.
Both opened sources are U.S. government publications; no independent press account was opened for this report.
The totals are cumulative over the 20-month investigation, not a single-day seizure; the reports do not break down when or where the cannabis share was seized.
Charges were unsealed against 139 defendants on the day of the announcement; no convictions or sentences are reported in these sources.
A 70-year-old man was arrested and booked into jail after Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board officers and Snohomish County deputies searched a property near Monroe on 6 November 2026. Investigators seized approximately 2,700 live and dried marijuana plants from what they described as an unlicensed cannabis production operation.
HSI in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, said two go-fast vessels carrying about 3,200 kilograms of marijuana and 3,188 kilograms of cocaine were intercepted under Operation Iron Current, a case against a Colombia-based trafficking organization. ICE put the street value of the haul at more than $80.5 million.
Indiana State Police seized nearly 1,000 grams of suspected marijuana alongside cocaine, fentanyl and guns in Operation Iron Scale raids on 3 November 2026 across Fort Wayne, Huntertown and Noblesville. Twelve people were arrested on felony conspiracy and narcotics-dealing charges, with no separate marijuana charges reported.
Waynesville police seized more than $56,000 worth of THC products said to have been sold or given to middle and high school children, arresting one person. Police said many items contained marijuana or THC extracts in youth-friendly packaging and warned parents about their appearance.
