On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry. Videos on social media have shown burning buses blocking roads in Culiacn. And Guzmn, the 32-year-old son of former Sinaloa cartel. by Stephen Sestanovich While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Officials claimedIglesias-Villegas was a "significant participant in the death of thousands of people in Ciudad Juarez from 2008 to 2011.". Last month, Mexico's President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obradorcontroversially stated that the deadly drug is neither created nor consumed in his country and blamed Americans for the totality of the epidemic. Once manufactured, the investigators allege the cartel used a network of vehicles, tunnels, aircraft, and couriers to smuggle the fentanyl into the United States, despite knowing the drug would kill Americans. One also was convicted in thekilling of a U.S. citizen in the Wedding Murders" case. CFRs Global Conflict Tracker looks at criminal violence in Mexico. Many also argue that Mexicos military is ill-prepared to perform police functions. The witness, who admitted to being in the team, looked on as violent images filled the screens in the courtroom. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Since then, all four brothers have been arrested or killed, but their loyalists continue to operate throughout Mexico. Testimony came from several Mexicanlocal and state law enforcement officers who were working for the cartels and taking bribes to ignore the drug and weapon trafficking done by the criminal organization. While other organizations expanded into human trafficking and extortion, among other activities, the Sinaloa cartel remained largely centred on drugs. An infamous Mexican drug lord and convicted cop-killer who co-founded the Sinaloa Cartel could soon be released from prison in Mexico, according to a report.. A Mexican tribunal is on the verge of . Announcing the charges on Friday, Attorney General Merrick Garland and Justice Department officials laid the loss of hundreds of thousands of American lives from fentanyl squarely at the feet of the defendants. He will now arrive on Sunday, a day earlier than previously expected, according to a tweet by Mexico's Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard. The other defendants includedJoaquin "El Chapo"Guzman, the reputed head of the cartel, andIsmael Zambada Garcia, who allegedly took over the drug cartel after Guzman was arrested in Mexico in 2016. First published on April 14, 2023 / 11:53 AM. The incident prompted mass demonstrations, with protesters demanding answers about the abductions and expressing their exhaustion with Mexicos endemic corruption, violence, and other crime. Iglesias became a member of the Sinaloa Cartel under Joaquin "Chapo" Guzman-Loera in early 2008. Mexican drug trafficking organizations (DTOs)sometimes referred to as transnational criminal organizationsdominate the import and distribution of cocaine, fentanyl, heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine in the United States. As Mexico gained popularity as a drug route, the strength of its criminal organizations grew, especially that of the Sinaloa cartel, which benefited from Guzmns innovative methods of smuggling, notably through tunnels, and his extensive use of bribes. The weekslong trial was held in the AlbertArmendarizSr.Federal Courthouse in Downtown El Paso with U.S. District Judge Frank Montalvopresiding. He was sentenced to more than two years in prison. Iglesias was the head of a group of Sinaloa Cartel sicarios (assassins) until his arrest in 2012. "The Sinaloa Cartel is a savage and brutal organization. El Paso Live presents events for month of May, First Republic Bank seized, sold in fire sale to, Washington Gov. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Arturo Shows Urquidi and Mario Alberto Iglesias Villegas, who are cartel members, are on trial this week in U.S. federal court in El Paso. MEXICO CITY Infamous drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero, who was behind the killing of a U.S. DEA agent in 1985, was captured Friday by Mexican forces nearly a decade after walking out of a Mexican. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. More than 100 flights were cancelled at local airports as a result. Its base of power is in northeast Mexico, especially the states of Tamaulipas and Zacatecas, and it is thought to be working with CJNG members in those areas. In 2019 he was found guilty on various charges, including drug trafficking. At the same time, the cartels smuggle vast quantities of marijuana into the United States, even though some U.S. jurisdictions have legalized it. Garland said Friday that the Sinaloa Cartel is "largely responsible" for the increased fentanyl trafficking into the U.S. most significant drug trafficking threats, technologically advanced, sophisticated, and violent, significant foreign narcotics traffickers, created dozens of smaller, more violent drug gangs. The indictment describes the cartels alleged drug transportation and distribution networks; its financial infrastructure that has laundered hundreds of millions of dollars in illicit proceeds; and the extensive use of violence to maintain power, including an internal power struggle. In October 2021, Presidents Biden and Lpez Obrador announced the creation of a bilateral framework to replace the Mrida Initiative that will seek to address both insecurity in Mexico and the opioid crisis in the United States. ", Officials added, "Agents and officers likewise seized hundreds of weapons and thousands of rounds of ammunition intended to be smuggled into Mexico to assist the Cartels battle to take control of Juarez and the local drug trafficking corridors. Murdered Protesters On March 2010, six farmers who had been protesting the building of a dam near Culiacan, Sinaloa were gunned down by Sinaloa Cartel gunmen during a firefight. The defendants, known collectively as the Chapitos, are Ivan Guzman Salazar, Alfredo Guzman Salazar, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, and Ovidio Guzman Lopez. According to the indictment, filed in the Northern District of Illinois, the defendants are charged under the Continuing Criminal Enterprise Statute, which targets large-scale drug traffickers who are responsible for long-term and complex drug conspiracies. The groom,Rafael Morales Valencia,who was fromColumbus, New Mexico,his brother, Jaime Morales Valencia, and their uncle, Guadalupe Morales Arreola, were kidnapped and killed during a drug war between the Sinaloa and Jurez drug cartels, according to court testimony and court documents. In recent years, vigilante groups known as autodefensas have sought to fill in where security forces have failed to protect communities from criminal groups. In the ensuing turf battles, a wave of unprecedented violence swept Mexico. We are grateful to them. Shows Urquidi is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 10, whilesentencing for Iglesias-Villegas is set for Feb.11, according to theU.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas. Culiacn alone saw 116 murders, 24 of them policemen. Europe Program, What Northern Ireland Teaches Us About Ending the Ukraine War, Article Beheading By Chainsaw Photo: Mexico Attorney General's Office / via CT Post / Public Domain For related Department of Justice press release, indictments and link to DEA fugitive photos, please seehttps://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-charges-against-sinaloa-cartel-s-global-operation. The International Crisis Groups Falko Ernst visualizes Mexicos war against the cartels. According to the DEA, the rapid expansion of its drug trafficking activities is characterized by the groups willingness to engage in violent confrontations with authorities and rival cartels. A $15 million reward is being offered for information leading to Zambada'sarrest andconviction. The Sinaloa Cartel's control over the Chicago drugs market is driving the city's murder rate, says a Bloomberg report, but in reality such a clear-cut link has yet to be established. The cartel is allegedly responsible for waves of murders, kidnappings and assassinations. Iglesias-Villegas also was convicted for his participation in the kidnapping and eventual murder of Horizon City residentSergio Saucedo, officials said. A further 35 military personnel were injured and 21 gunmen were arrested, Defence Minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval said on Friday. Mexico later deployed twenty-five thousand National Guard members to secure its borders, which some experts say increased violence and diminished the countrys cartel-fighting capacity. Recent efforts have centered on the Mrida Initiative; since Presidents George W. Bush and Caldern launched the partnership [PDF] in 2007, the United States has appropriated more than $3 billion for it. The Chapitos allegedly used these networks to import the drugs into the United States. Video Shows The Moment Mexican Security Forces Captured The Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). The two are accused of being involved in the Sinaloa cartels operations Jurez in connection to murders, kidnappings, and drug trafficking. The team used a stolen Jeep to transport the bodies, he said. Defense attorneys for Urquidi and Iglesias questioned the validity of the video the jurors saw and the transcript of what was said in the video. . The Democratic Republic of Congo has been subjected to centuries of international intervention by European powers, as well as its African neighbors. 2023 BBC. The Mexican cartels (The Sinaloa, Los Zetas, The Gulf Cartel, and the Knights Templar, most notably) and their known drug associates continue to escalate gratuitous acts of retaliation and often record the executions . Mexican drug cartels are leading suppliers of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and other illicit narcotics to the United States. November 11, 2022 / 6:06 AM / CBS/AP Nine people are dead, including four women, after gunmen burst into a bar and opened fire in the violence-wracked Mexican state of Guanajuato, authorities said. In 2017, Americans spent $153 billion [PDF] on illegal drugs, including cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine. Culiacan Airport resumed operations on Friday. Notorious Mexican cartel leader and hitman Edgar Valdez-Villareal has disappeared from the federal prison database, despite not being eligible for release until 2056. Amy Tikkanen is the general corrections manager, handling a wide range of topics that include Hollywood, politics, books, and anything related to the. There is an epidemic of murder in Mexico and the majority of it is committed by organized crime," said Jeffrey James Higgins, retired. 0:36. The Chapitos allegedly used cargo aircraft, private aircraft, submarines and other submersible and semi-submersible vessels, container ships, supply vessels, go-fast boats, fishing vessels, buses, rail cars, tractor trailers, automobiles, and private and commercial interstate and foreign carriers to transport their drugs and precursor chemicals. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. 2023 www.elpasotimes.com. Extra security, including U.S. marshals and metal detectors, was presentthroughout the trial. Religion and Foreign Policy Webinars, A Conversation with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada, Virtual Event But during and after the arrest, 10 soldiers and 19 . The 49-year-old Sinaloa Cartel member, who is suspected of having killed dozens, goes by the nickname "La Barbie" thanks to his blue eyes. In 2014 Guzmn was apprehended in Mazatln, Sinaloa, Mexico, but the following year he escaped from prison through a tunnel. All the witnesses who worked forthe cartel and the jailhouse informant eachadmitted they were hoping their testimony in the case would result in their prison sentences being reduced. Ukraines Counteroffensive: Will It Retake Crimea? by Will Freeman Although several of its leaders were arrested between 2019 and 2020, the group remains active, and along with Guerreros Unidos, has been linked to the 2014 disappearance and murder of forty-three students from a university in Guerrero State. "The pioneers in hanging bodies were the Zetas cartel during the war against the Sinaloa Cartel in Coahuila and Tamaulipas states around the '90s," said David Saucedo, a Mexico-based security analyst. January 31, 2022, How Tobacco Laws Could Help Close the Racial Gap on Cancer, Interactive He also provided security forstash houses, where thousands of kilograms of cocaine were unloaded, officials said. If someone shit talked the Sinaloa cartel and got shot in the street by like 25 men in a standing horizontally in a row then that guy better be thankful cuz they showed mercy. By the early 21st century the cartel had operations in more than 50 countries but was particularly dominant in the United States. For the special agents of IRS Criminal Investigation, the work of investigating dangerous criminals never stops. While there will always be more work to be done, these indictments will continue the dismantlement of an extremely vicious criminal enterprise that has been a primary driver of violence in our communities. We know that nothing can repair the harm they've suffered or bring back the loved ones they have lost.". A locked padlock April 21, 2023, Stopping Illegal Gun Trafficking Through South Florida, Blog Post Jay Inslee says he wont seek a fourth, How to watch King Charles royal coronation, Montana legislator sues House speaker over censure, Monday forecast: Beautiful start to the week, Slightly cooler Monday; chance of showers this week, 92 on Sunday! The U.S. Department of State, through its Narcotics Rewards Program, is offering rewards of up to $10 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Ivan Guzman Salazar, Alfredo Guzman Salazar, and Ovidio Guzman Lopez and up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Joaquin Guzman Lopez. In Mexico, the cartels use a portion of their vast profits to pay off judges, officers, and politicians. Luis Arellano-Romeropleaded guilty July 30, 2020, to laundering of monetary instruments. is currently serving a life sentence in a federal prison in Colorado after being convicted in 2019 of numerous drug and murder conspiracy charges. According to reports, Ismael (El Mayo) Zambada Garca, one of the cartels original members, and Guzmns sons assumed control of the organization, which remained incredibly powerful. La Familia Michoacna (LFM). April 25, 2023 You are also agreeing to our, For media inquiries on this topic, please reach out to, AMLOs Hugs Not Bullets Is Failing Mexico, Mexican Migration Could Be the First Crisis of 2021. While the Sinaloa Cartel remains under the leadership of Zambada Garca, its local bosses have broad decision-making power, which makes it difficult to estimate how much of an overall toll this violence has had on the group. He was extradited to the United States the following year. She said online platforms are usually where the initial contact between buyer and sellers occurs and described social media applications as the "super highway" of the fentanyl supply chain. The U.S.-Mexico relationship took a major hit in October 2020, when U.S. authorities arrested General Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda, a former Mexican defense minister, in Los Angeles for drug trafficking and money laundering. Garland said Friday that the Sinaloa Cartel is "largely responsible" for the increased fentanyl trafficking into the U.S. . But 2015 saw an uptick, and by the end of his term, the number of homicides had risen to the highest level in modern Mexican history. Aaron Martinez may be reached at 915-546-6249; aamartinez@elpasotimes.com; @AMartinezEPTon Twitter. However, it has lost power in recent years and fractured into rival wings, the most prominent being the Northeast Cartel. "It's died down a bit," he says. We havecharged Chapos four sons with leading a criminal enterprise built on trafficking tons of deadly drugs into our nation,money laundering, and murder. "The Sinaloa Cartels criminal activity in the Cuidad Juarez and El Paso area included the violence that occurred during the war between the Juarez Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel, which led to the death of thousands of people in Ciudad Juarez and throughout the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Durango," U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas officials said in a news release. The cartels that pose the most significant drug trafficking threats [PDF] to the United States, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), are: A curation of original analyses, data visualizations, and commentaries, examining the debates and efforts to improve health worldwide. However, some vigilantes have committed rights abuses, including the recruitment of child fighters; allegedly maintained ties to cartels in exchange for weapons and protection; and even turned to organized crime themselves. SAN DIEGO - Four sons of Joaqun Guzmn Loera, the imprisoned former Sinaloa Cartel leader known as El Chapo, were indicted by a federal grand jury for large-scale drug trafficking, money laundering and violent crimes in connection with their assumption of cartel leadership following their father's arrest and extradition to the United States. The Sinaloa Cartel is one of the biggest and most powerful drug trafficking cartels in the world - and also the focus of Netflix's Narcos: Mexico. Violence continues to rage more than a decade after the Mexican government launched a war against drug cartels. Mexico 9 307 13 0. Formerly led by Joaqun El Chapo Guzmn, Sinaloa is one of Mexicos oldest and most influential drug trafficking groups. Gulf Cartel. Read about our approach to external linking. Sinaloa cartel leader arrested in connection to 1985 murder Mexico captured infamous drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero, who was behind the 1985 killing of a Drug Enforcement Administration agent and . The expecting mother will need diapers and bottles, but she will also need comfy maternity clothes to wear throughout her pregnancy or a maternity pillow. Global Health Program, Why the Situation in Cuba Is Deteriorating, In Brief United States Attorney's Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, United States Marshals Service, Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations, Customs and Border Protection Office of Border Patrol, Department of Justice, Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, Department of Justice, Narcotics and Dangerous Drug Section, Department of Justice, Office of International Affairs, Department of Justice, Office of Enforcement Operations, Electronic Surveillance Unit, U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of Illinois, Department of Treasury, Office of Foreign Asset Control, San Diego Law Enforcement Coordination Center, San Diego County District Attorneys Office, Interpol, Domestic Cannabis Suppression / Eradication Program, Red Ribbon Toolkit - Resources For Your Community, DEA National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, Intelligence Research Specialist Job Announcements, Schedule A Hiring Authority: Intelligence Research Specialist, Privacy Impact Assessment and Management Information Systems, Victim Witness Assistance Program Resources, https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-charges-against-sinaloa-cartel-s-global-operation. Their bodies were left in an affluent area in Jurez along Avenida Plutarco Elas Calles. Other charged individuals include operators of secret labs in Mexico where fentanyl is made, weapons dealers who help the Sinaloa Cartel arm its security, and money launderers who funded the operations. Federal prosecutors countered that former cartel members who were part of the criminal organization were the best witnesses since they saw the illegal activity firsthand. "We are doing everything in our power, and using every authority we have, to bring those responsible to justice," he added. A video taken by cartel members during the commission of crimes or punishment of guilty members. Jalisco splintered from Sinaloa in 2010 and is among Mexico's fastest-growing cartels, with operations in more than two-thirds of the country. Sinaloa notably gained territory from both the Tijuana and Jurez cartels, solidifying its position as one of the worlds most-powerful drug syndicates. The government registered more than 120,000 homicides [PDF] over the course of Calderns term, nearly twice as many as during his predecessors time in office. Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Accident; Beating; Beheading; Cartel; Cops; Crime; . Experts attribute this to the continued fallout from the kingpin strategy, territorial feuds, and cartel fragmentation. Both men were found guilty ofconspiracy to possess firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes,racketeering conspiracy,conspiracy to possess a controlled substance with intent to distribute,conspiracy to import a controlled substance,and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments. He was sentenced to 27 years in prison. The group is known to have a partnership with the CJNG, using the same transportation networks to move drug shipments to and from the United States. U.S. officials estimate that CJNG supplies more than one-third of the U.S. drug market. Several other drug and weaponcharges were dismissed as part of a plea agreement, according to court records. NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY - April 30, 2021. Families and communities across our country are being devastated by the fentanyl epidemic. In August 2022, a judge ordered the former attorney general who oversaw the original investigation to stand trial on charges of forced disappearance, failure to report torture, and misconduct. At least 29 people were killed during the bloody operation to arrest of the son of Mexican drugs kingpin "El Chapo", the Mexican authorities say. President Donald Trump shifted U.S. priorities for Mrida to issues including border security and combating drug production and money laundering. 1 nemesis, the Sinaloa Cartel, dominates the majority supply of everything from methamphetamine and heroin to the devastating synthetic opioid. The indictment said the defendants obtained guns and other weapons; bribed corrupt public officials; and incited, threatened and engaged in violence, including murder, kidnapping, assault, and battery against law enforcement, rival drug traffickers, and members of their own drug trafficking organization. Mexicos drug cartels are in a constant state of flux. Based in southwestern Mexico, Guerreros Unidos (United Warriors) broke away from the BLO in 2009 and became involved in the heroin trade. Federal prosecutors said the witness could be used to validate the video and transcription but defense attorneys argued his objectivity may have already been tainted. To view press conference, please seehttps://www.justice.gov/live. Federal officials on Friday detailed the Chapitos' gruesome and cruel practices aimed at extending their power and amassing greater wealth from testing the potency of the fentanyl they allegedly produced on prisoners to feeding victims of their violence to tigers in order to intimidate civilians. Enrique Pea Nieto (20122018). Several other drug and weapon charges were dismissed as part of a plea agreement, according to court records. Corrections? A related indictment charging three of the brothers was also unsealed by the Southern District of New York. Ivan Sanchez-Hernandez, a former memberofthe Jurez municipal police force, pleaded guilty Feb. 28, 2020, to one count of continuing criminal enterprise. He remains detained in Mexico pending extradition proceedings. The country has seen more than 360,000 homicides since 2006, when the government declared war on the cartels. Mexican security forces had previously arrested Mr Guzmn-Lpez in 2019 but released him to avoid the threat of violence from his supporters. You can also get in touch in the following ways: If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. More:Reputed drug cartel boss 'El Jaguar' wounded, arrested in Mexican army shootout, More:'The worst it's ever been.' Thousands of Mexicansincluding politicians, students, and journalistsdie in the conflict every year. The fuselage of a plane scheduled to fly from Culiacn to Mexico City was hit by gunfire during the operation on Thursday morning as it was preparing for take-off, Mexican airline Aeromexico said. This case and others we have brought out of the Southern District of Californiademonstrate our unwavering resolveto dismantle the Sinaloa Cartel by attacking it at every level., These indictments have been a long time in the making and we wouldnt be here without the collaboration of our local, state, federal, and international partners, said Special Agent in Charge Stacey Moy of the FBIs San Diego Field Office. As part of a plea agreement, several other drug and weapon charges were dismissed, according to court records. The indictment offers the most comprehensive look yet at the operations of the Sinaloa Cartel dating back 15 years. The cases against the other 14 defendants arepending in federal court. Retired El Paso DEA leader gives somber view of drug problem, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. According to the testimony, Fierro-Ramirez feared Shows Urquidi knew too much about the cartel, so he took out a contract to have Shows Urquidi killed. Prosecutors revealed in a recent indictment that while Sinaloa cartel boss Joaqun El Chapo Guzmn serves a life sentence, his sons have steered the family business into fentanyl, establishing a network of labs churning out massive quantities of the cheap, deadly drug that they smuggle into the U.S. Washington has also sought to stem the flow of illegal drugs into the United States by bolstering security and monitoring operations along its border with Mexico.

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