(WatchDogReport.org) – Fourteen indictments unsealed on June 5 revealed that the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) had charged 47 cartel members with money laundering, firearms laundering, and drug trafficking offenses. Each of the criminals is part of a Sinaloa Cartel’s faction whose duty is to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl to the United States.
Nearly 400 local and state law enforcement agents deployed a massive takedown during morning hours, executing 25 search warrants in some western states, including Arizona, Oregon, and California. In a press release, the Justice Department said that 36 of the 47 cartel members the agency charged had already been arrested, revealed that the rest were currently on the run, and announced that authorities were looking for them.
In the press release, United States Attorney General Merrick Garland said that the takedown represents a significant hit executed by the Justice Department against the Sinaloa Cartel and its associates. During the investigation, law enforcement agents confiscated 52 rifles and handguns, as well as 714 pounds of meth, four kilograms of fentanyl, and massive amounts of heroin and cocaine. The seized fentanyl was the equivalent of nearly three million fatal doses.
Back in June 2021, law enforcement agents arrested a member of the Sinaloa cartel and found on his house a large amount of methamphetamine, as well as ammunition, a Colt.380 semiautomatic pistol, and AR-style ghost guns. In addition to the 36 cartel members arrested, US authorities also arrested Border Patrol Agent Alexander Grindley for being part of the methamphetamine trade while working at the US southern border. The Justice Department explained that his role in the Sinaloa Cartel operation, as well as his arrest, has prompted some other investigations.
The Sinaloa Cartel is considered one of the most dangerous criminal organizations in the Western Hemisphere, with a criminal portfolio that includes not only drug trafficking but also killing, kidnapping, human trafficking, and more.
Copyright 2024, WatchDogReport.org
