FOLSOM, Calif. — Approximately 15 alleged drug dealers were arrested over the weekend in a multi-agency regional sting headed by the Folsom Police Department.
On Nov. 1 and 2, Folsom police led Operation Folsom Blues, which targeted drug distribution networks in Sacramento, Placer and El Dorado counties, according to police and the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office. The arrestee pool included individuals from all three areas.
Over $15,000 in cash, hundreds of pills and other drugs like cocaine and methamphetamine were seized in the collaborative effort, according to law enforcement. Detectives recovered nearly 350 grams of fentanyl, which could kill about 150,000 people.
“Operation ‘Folsom Blues’ targeted street-level drug dealers responsible for distributing fentanyl and other dangerous drugs by utilizing online marketplaces and social media applications,” deputies said in a news release.
Deputies said arrestees were warned they’d be charged with murder if they sold someone drugs laced with fentanyl and that person died.
“Per the United States Drug Enforcement Agency, it takes only a few granules of fentanyl, weighing only two or three milligrams, to have lethal consequences for an average person,” deputies said.
A 2023 DEA laboratory study found seven out of every 10 pills confiscated contained a deadly amount of fentanyl. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said over 112,000 Americans died last year from drug poisoning.
Between summer 2023 and spring 2024, Folsom police investigated five cases and charged four individuals with homicide in fentanyl overdose-related cases. Two suspects, in separate cases, face trial for murder.
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Ruslan Viktoravic Kochkin, 35, was accused of killing Kyle Douglas Barton, a 30-year-old father of four, on Jan. 19, ABC10 previously reported. Kochkin’s trial begins Monday, Dec. 16, court records show.
Ronald James Ehman, 45, was accused of killing 24-year-old Mary Milagro Siryj on July 26, 2023. His trial is scheduled to begin Monday, Jan. 27, 2025.
Officers said illegal drug activity can be reported to the department through its tip line at 916-930-1098.
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