Walmart parking lot deal, heroin stashed in Playstation led police to massive Novi drug bust

NOVI, Mich. (WJBK) - Last summer, a condo in Novi was at the center of a massive drug bust. The raid took adeadly combination of heroin and fentanyl off the streets. Now the case is moving forward in federal court and we're learning more about that condo's connection to a Mexican cartel.

Officials found more than half a million dollars and three people are in custody.

"This is one of the most significant ones that we've had here as of recently," said DEA Asst. Special Agent in Charge Bruce McColley.

But what agents thought was a huge amount of heroin turned out to be even more dangerous. In federal court and court filings, investigators now know they actually confiscated 10 kilos of fentanyl and more than 20 kilos of fentanyl mixed with heroin, a deadly combination worth millions of dollars.

It's a case that now involves seven defendants, including a barber, a doctor, a horse groomer and the Sinaloa drug cartel in Mexico. Court records revealed it was a drug deal in a Walmart parking lot in Novi in March 2017 that made all the difference.

The feds say they had the drug buy under surveillance. They arrested the buyer and found the heroin was stashed in a Sony PlayStation box. 

There was no PlayStation inside but the serial number was there and that was enough to lead them to the condo where they made the big bust. And it wasn't easy -- court filings show it took surveillance video and several subpoenas to make it happen.

The feds say the operation is tied to others in Baltimore, Indiana. The DEA would not comment on this ongoing investigation.