Attorney General Pam Bondi celebrated what she called the "largest fentanyl bust in our nation's history" on Tuesday, announcing her victory and crediting the interdepartmental work of several agencies.

According to her, it was a coordinated operation that took place across five states and resulted in the recovery of 11.5 kilograms of fentanyl, which is more than 25 pounds, The Hill reported.

This included almost three million tablets that contained fentanyl and were classified as oxycodone.

As a result of this operation, a number of individuals who were connected to the dangerous Mexican Sinaloa cartel were arrested.

Comment from AG Pam Bondi

“It marks the most significant victory in our nation’s fight against fentanyl and drug trafficking to date,” Bondi said during a news conference.

She added that the sweeping effort “targeted one of the largest and most dangerous drug trafficking and foreign terrorist organizations in our country.”

Authorities said that six months ago, undercover operations and monitoring began as part of a multiagency investigation into an alleged drug trafficking organization that extended over several states, including New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, and Oregon.

Police also claimed to have seized 49 firearms and firearm accessories, 35 kilograms of methamphetamine, 7.5 kilograms of cocaine, and 4.5 kilograms of heroin.

More from the AG's office

“This was an incredible operation,” Bondi said. “It took months and months of work … to get this massive amount of drugs and guns off our streets.

In the Department of Justice press release, she lauded the "historic drug seizure, led by the DEA, is a significant blow against the Sinaloa Cartel that removes poison from our streets and protects American citizens from the scourge of fentanyl."

“This Department of Justice will continue working with our law enforcement partners to dismantle every cartel network operating illegally in the United States,” she said.

The drug ring

The man who was thought to be in charge of the drug ring, Heriberto Salazar Amaya, was caught in Oregon. Bondi pointed out that at least six of the people caught in the drug bust were in the country illegally.

“They’re facing a substantial amount of time in prison, and there’s a very big risk, we all know, releasing someone, especially to Mexico," Bondi said.

Surprisingly, she did not advocate for sending them back to Mexico, as has been the fate of many illegal immigrants under this administration, saying instead that if they were sent to their home country they would "continue on with their drug business."

“Sending them back to Mexico to continue on with their drug business isn’t going to happen under this administration,” she added.