An Alabama man was one of 40 individuals taken into custody by federal agents Tuesday as part of a massive investigation into drug trafficking, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced.

The four-year investigation resulted in 10 separate federal indictments, with more arrests to come, involving large-scale drug trafficking crimes which were centered in eastern Mississippi but spread to Alabama, Texas, California and Mexico.

The indictments include a number of drug trafficking crimes, including intent to distribute controlled substances and conspiracy to distribute.

Several of the defendants face mandatory minimum sentences because of the sheer quantity of the drugs seized, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

“The persons arrested today were engaged in trafficking major quantities of dangerous drugs, such as methamphetamine, MDMA, and cocaine,” said Todd Gee, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi. “They peddled this poison for profit, affecting the lives of so many.”

Others face enhanced penalties for crimes involving methamphetamine with minors present.

“These deadly drugs kill tens of thousands of persons every year throughout Mississippi and our nation,” Gee said. “Some of these defendants are even charged with committing a methamphetamine drug offense while minors, including a young toddler, were at the location. They choose to harm the health and life of the youngest in our community.

Among those arrested in Tuesday’s operation was 52-year-old Billy Wilson of Cuba, Ala., located near the Alabama-Mississippi state line west of Montgomery. The specific charges against Wilson were not immediately available.

Gee also noted agents seized large amounts of cash and firearms, with one bust alone resulting in the seizure of more than $48,000 in cash, a semi-automatic weapon, additional firearms, numerous rounds of ammunition and thousands of dollars in illegal narcotics.

Gee said he had a message for drug traffickers.

“Get out of the business, or like those arrested today, you will eventually spend a large portion of your life behind bars.”

The scope of the investigation becomes clear via the number of agencies which participated, including Homeland Security Investigations, the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, the East Mississippi Drug Task Force and Lauderdale County (Miss.) Sheriff’s Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Alabama 17th Judicial Circuit Drug Task Force, the Newton County (Miss.) Sheriff’s Department, and the Scott County (Miss.) Sheriff’s Department.

Also assisting: U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Mississippi Highway Patrol, Mississippi Bureau of Investigations, Neshoba County (Miss. ) Sheriff’s Office, Philadelphia (Miss.) Police Department, Decatur (Miss.) Police Department, Union (Miss.) Police Department, Mississippi Attorney General’s Office, Mississippi Commercial Truck Enforcement Division, Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks, Mississippi Alcoholic Beverage Control, and the Mississippi Department of Corrections.