El Dorado County law enforcement arrested 14 people and seized three firearms during a three-day regional drug operation the week of Oct. 6.
The arrests came as part of Operation Central Valley Blues, a coordinated effort spanning 38 agencies and 14 counties across Northern and Central California, ABC10 reported. The operation targeted drug trafficking, illegal weapons and violent crime.
Locally, the West El Dorado Narcotics Enforcement Team conducted the enforcement alongside El Dorado County Sheriff's Office deputies, El Dorado County Probation officers and the El Dorado County District Attorney's Office, according to the Village Life.
In El Dorado County, authorities seized about 1.88 pounds of methamphetamine and 34.3 grams of fentanyl. They also recovered 11 methamphetamine pipes and filed 11 law enforcement reports. Agencies documented one DUI-related incident, one reckless driving incident and one felony warrant.
The results were a fraction of the regional totals. Across all 14 counties, the operation produced 146 arrests and 232 charges. Agencies seized 43 weapons and $338,222 in currency. They also reported seizing more than 3,286 pounds of narcotics and 18,542 pills, including 16,136 fentanyl pills. Methamphetamine accounted for nearly 92 pounds of the total.
The DEA's San Francisco Field Division led the operation alongside the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California, the FBI's Sacramento Field Office, the Central Valley California High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force and Meta.
The operation built on Operation Folsom Blues, which the Folsom Police Department originally started. Since July, participating agencies investigated leads from online drug advertisements, including voluntary referrals from Facebook and Instagram.
El Dorado County District Attorney Vern Pierson said the operation "sends a clear message to drug traffickers: If you choose to bring dangerous drugs into our communities, you will be held accountable."
El Dorado County Sheriff Jeff Leikauf credited the Folsom Police Department for establishing Operation Folsom Blues and the DEA's Sacramento office for expanding the effort regionally. Fox 40 reported the operation built on a 2025 iteration of Operation Folsom Blues that also resulted in 146 arrests.
Residents with information about drug activity can contact the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office or the West El Dorado Narcotics Enforcement Team.
