In raids across California, Arizona, and Nevada, federal authorities seized tens of millions of dollars’ worth of methamphetamine.
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Wednesday, Nov. 7, that it has charged 48 suspected Sinaloa cartel members with distributing meth, fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine.
Authorities say they discovered more than 8,000 pounds of methamphetamine with a street value of approximately $72 million, as well as firearms.
The Department of Justice reports that nearly 150 federal, state, and local law enforcement officers arrested 25 suspects and executed 15 search warrants in Imperial County, California, Yuma, Arizona, and Las Vegas, Nevada.
According to law enforcement officials, 23 of the suspects involved in the crimes are still at large. The charges in the DOJ indictments include drug trafficking, conspiracy, and bulk cash smuggling.
If convicted, the charges carry a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison, plus a $10 million fine.
U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath said in a statement that the drug arrests and seizures are a devastating blow to a major drug trafficking network.
The Sinaloa cartel is one of Mexico’s most powerful criminal organizations, with long-standing control over drug routes into the US.
The branch of the Sinaloa cartel charged in the indictment is linked to a drug lord known as “El Mayo,” who is currently in custody in New York and operates out of Imperial Valley and Mexicali, Mexico.
