Overview
- Operation Burnout, carried out between May 18 and May 20, used a C-5M Super Galaxy to move about 50 metric tons of seized narcotics from March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County, California, to Wright-Patterson AFB in Ohio for onward disposal.
- The Air Force called the mission the largest recorded aerial transport of hazardous narcotics and used the C-5M because it can carry very large, heavy loads and reduce the time and manpower needed for cross-country movement.
- The shipment included fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine and was routed from Wright-Patterson to a specialized facility in Indiana for final destruction under law-enforcement oversight.
- DEA officials said partnering with the Air Force avoided driving the cargo across multiple states, which lowered risks of ambush, theft, and the high labor burden of ground convoys.
- News outlets reported sharply different dollar values for the load—about $5 billion in one account and $5 million in another—and the official Air Force release did not corroborate a single valuation, highlighting a wider problem: closures of incinerators have created a disposal backlog that may require more permanent capacity solutions.