WHATCOM COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – An investigation into a Whatcom County drug ring operation has received national-level honors.

The DEA Bellingham Regional High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Task Force recently received the Community Impact Investigation award for their work.

Their investigation began after four people died from fentanyl overdoses on the Lummi Reservation in September 2023. Investigators from Bellingham and the Whatcom Regional Drug Task Force were among the agencies that tracked the overdoses back to a prolific drug trafficker in King County.

My Bellingham Now previously reported that of the 17 suspects named in the investigation, four were taken into custody in Whatcom County.

Over 850,000 fentanyl pills were seized in the operation, along with 29 illegal firearms and $120,000 in cash.

The High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Awards were given to 14 law enforcement task forces nationwide, out of over 100 nominations.