22 drug-trafficking suspects arrested in S. California
Los Angeles, Dec. 13 (Xinhua-ANI)
Twenty-two suspects were arrested Wednesday in Southern California and charged with drug-trafficking conspiracy, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said.
The arrests were made in an operation by a multi-agency task force and law enforcement partners following an investigation into a drug ring that operated in three counties, according to the authorities.
During the operation, the task force also seized drugs with a street value of approximately 100,000 U.S. dollars, they added.
If convicted of the charges, the defendants will face statutory maximum penalties ranging from 40 years to life in prison.
According to data released by the FBI in October, more than 1.53 million people were arrested on drug charges last year, with nearly nine out of 10 of them for simple possession, and nearly half of them on marijuana charges.