by Olivia Angelino, Thomas J. Bollyky, Elle Ruggiero and Isabella Turilli More:Sinaloa cartel members, law enforcement testify in 2nd week of 'Wedding Murders' trial. Mexican drug cartels are leading suppliers of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and other illicit narcotics to the United States. In 2017, Mexican authorities extradited Guzmn to the United States, where he is serving a life sentence for multiple drug-related charges. (Experts estimate that between one-third and one-half of the homicides in Mexico are linked to cartels.). 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 US announced an award of $5m for information leading to Mr Guzmn-Lpez's arrest. President Biden inherited a tense security relationship with Mexico, with bilateral cooperation focused mostly on migration, COVID-19, and trade. It was a blow to Mexicos efforts to fight drugs and further underscored the power of both the Sinaloa cartel and Guzmn. They cutt his hands off and left his body in a dark alley near the Universidad Pedaggica Nacional del Estado de Chihuahua, on Jurezs busy Avenida Ejrcito Nacional street. The vehicle was guarded during transport, he added. April 21, 2023, Stopping Illegal Gun Trafficking Through South Florida, Blog Post Experts attribute this to the continued fallout from the kingpin strategy, territorial feuds, and cartel fragmentation. Calderns successor said he would focus more on reducing violence against civilians and businesses than on removing the leaders of cartels. 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. 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. We may have been far from it but we were close enough to see many people driving pretty fast in the opposite direction.". We are grateful to them. Victims Of The Shooting In Culiacan Sinaloa. 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. Renewing America, Timeline According to reports at the time, it was responsible for the majority of illegal drugsnotably marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and methamphetaminesthat were smuggled from Mexico into its northern neighbour, and in 2015 U.S. officials claimed that Sinaloa controlled the drug markets in almost every state. Sinaloa notably gained territory from both the Tijuana and Jurez cartels, solidifying its position as one of the worlds most-powerful drug syndicates. Secure .gov websites use HTTPSA lock ( Dismantling this notorious criminal organization flooding the U.S. with deadly narcotics and brutal criminal activity takes the collaboration of a multitude of law enforcement agencies and we are seeing the results of our collective efforts in todays indictment, said Special Agent in Charge Chad A. Plantz, HSIs San Diego Field Office. Mexican President Andrs Lpez Obrador said Mexican forces had acted responsibly to look after the civilian population and avoid innocent victims. April 25, 2023 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. The trial began with juryselection Oct. 4, with a verdict reached Friday. 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. More:Reputed drug cartel boss 'El Jaguar' wounded, arrested in Mexican army shootout, More:'The worst it's ever been.' Omissions? Washington Federal prosecutors unsealed criminal charges against 28 members and associates of the Mexican Sinaloa Cartel including the three sons of former drug lord Joaqun "El Chapo" Guzmn accusing them of orchestrating a transnational fentanyl trafficking operation into the United States. This assistance has gone toward purchases of military aircraft, surveillance software, and other equipment. 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. "We are doing everything in our power, and using every authority we have, to bring those responsible to justice," he added. His hugs not bullets approach seeks to address the socioeconomic drivers of organized crime by creating job opportunities. But the alliance forged in blood should now evolve to be powered by chips, batteries, and clean technology. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The United States has cooperated with Mexico on security and counternarcotics to varying degrees over the past several decades. Accident; Beating; Beheading; Cartel; Cops; Crime; . 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 2009, U.S. President Barack Obama designated the groups members as significant foreign narcotics traffickers and imposed financial sanctions on it under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act. The question brought a stop to the testimony and federal Judge Frank Montalvo excused the jury for the day as he discussed the video with attorneys. Iglesias became a member of the Sinaloa Cartel under Joaquin "Chapo" Guzman-Loera in early 2008. 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. NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY - April 30, 2021. A video showed a Mexican cartel lining up. His trial revealed some of the brutal details of how Mexico's drug cartels operate. with Heidi Campbell and Paul Brandeis Raushenbush Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). Please enter valid email address to continue. And in 2022, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) seized more than 50 million fentanyl-laced pills, more than double the amount collected the year prior, the Justice Department said. with Heidi Campbell and Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, Mexicos Long War: Drugs, Crime, and the Cartels. The cartel was founded in Mexico's Sinaloa state and now operates in 17 Mexican states, and by some estimates, in as many as 50 countries. Last updated September 7, 2022 2:45 pm (EST), By entering your email and clicking subscribe, you're agreeing to receive announcements from CFR about our products and services, as well as invitations to CFR events. FILE - This Feb. 22, 2014 file photo shows Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, the head of Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel, being escorted to a helicopter in Mexico City following his capture overnight in the . Mexican authorities have been waging a deadly battle against drug cartels for more than a decade, but with limited success. On her back, the cartel members wrote I extort people for La Lnea. A rose was placed on top of her in the image of her body. Homicides declined in the first years of Pea Nietos presidency. Mr Guzmn-Lpez - nicknamed "The Mouse" - was extracted by helicopter and flown to the capital before being taken to a maximum security federal prison. 2023 BBC. Once led by the Chapitos father, Joaquin Guzman Loera, aka El Chapo, and Ismael Zambada Garcia, aka El Mayo, the Sinaloa Cartels members and associates allegedly including the Chapitos smuggled significant quantities of drugs through Mexico and into the United States. The charges stem from a decades-long, multi-district investigation by the Southern District of California, the Department of Justice Criminal Divisions Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section, the Northern District of Illinois, and their law enforcement partners. The witness, who admitted to being in the team, looked on as violent images filled the screens in the courtroom. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Sinaloa-cartel, The Brookings Institution - How the Sinaloa Cartel rules, El Chapo sons charged with smuggling cheap fentanyl to US, El Chapo sons among 28 Sinaloa cartel members charged by US. 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. Based in southwestern Mexico, Guerreros Unidos (United Warriors) broke away from the BLO in 2009 and became involved in the heroin trade. 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. . 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. They are also charged with additional drug trafficking, money laundering, firearms and violent crimes. Retired El Paso DEA leader gives somber view of drug problem, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. At the time, the power of the Colombian cartels was declining, partly because of the deaths of various drug lords, notably Pablo Escobar (died 1993), and the U.S. crackdown on drug trafficking in the Caribbean, then the preferred route for transporting drugs into the United States. Traffickers employ various tactics to evade detection by U.S. authorities at the border. Still, President Pea Nieto relied heavily [PDF] on the military, in combination with the federal police, to battle the cartels. Though the United States later dropped the charges and allowed Cienfuegos to return to Mexico, the Mexican government responded by restricting U.S. law enforcement agents power to operate in the country. A further 1,000 troops are being sent to Sinaloa to help with ongoing security measures. by Richard Haass 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. Jalisco splintered from Sinaloa in 2010 and is among Mexico's fastest-growing cartels, with operations in more than two-thirds of the country. With new politicians in power, cartels ramped up violence against the government in an effort to reestablish their hold [PDF] on the state. Mario De La O Lopez, aChihuahua state police officer, pleaded guilty June 15, 2017, to one count of continuing criminal enterprise. Jurez Cartel. 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. by Lindsay Maizland One of the most chilling examples of these abuses occurred in the southern state of Guerrero in 2014, when forty-three student protesters were abducted and presumably killed, though remains of only three students have been definitively identified. February 1, 2023 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. Over the decades, they have grown, splintered, forged new alliances, and battled one another for territory. They have become a formidable force against the cartels in states including Guerrero and Michoacn. The trials are part of a large indictment by a federal grand jury that included Sinaloa cartel leaders Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman and Ismael "Mayo" Zambada Garcia. In an interview with Insight Crimes Katie Jones, University of Warwick Professor Benjamin T. Smith explains how his book The Dope unpacks misperceptions about Mexicos drug trade. The amount of fentanyl seized by Mexican authorities nearly quintupled between 2019 and 2020. Mexicos drug cartels are in a constant state of flux. In the early 2000s, they recruited a young, ex-football player from Laredo named Edgar Valdez Villareal. This timeline traces the role of the outside forces that have beleaguered eastern Congo since the end of the colonial era. 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. President Donald Trump shifted U.S. priorities for Mrida to issues including border security and combating drug production and money laundering. 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 . The news comes just one day after Garland and Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco met with members of Mexican security officials in Washington, D.C. in part to discuss the fentanyl crisis. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Culiacn alone saw 116 murders, 24 of them policemen. Powerful figures in the Guadalajara organization, the two men became leaders in the Sinaloa cartel. Several other defendants indicted in El Paso in 2012 have pleaded guilty. Allies and Enemies The Sinaloa Cartel's central bond is blood. In Mexico, the cartels use a portion of their vast profits to pay off judges, officers, and politicians. 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. The vehicle was parked off the main road for 16 hours in Caborca, in the neighbouring state of Sonora, before being allowed to move again. She was asked if she was married, if she had kids, if she wanted to make a statement. Shows Urquidi was accused of smuggling drugs, weapons and cash through tanker trucks and airplanes. In the past decade, the group has splintered into various factions, diluting its strength as it battles for territory with Los Zetas. 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. "It's no longer enough to protect our children from drug dealers in the park or on the street cornerbecause now those drug dealers ply their deadly trade on social media apps running on the phones in our kids' pockets," Monaco said. Formerly led by Joaqun El Chapo Guzmn, Sinaloa is one of Mexicos oldest and most influential drug trafficking groups. 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. 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. Monaco highlighted the need to combat drug trafficking and fentanyl proliferation on social media, telling reporters on Friday that she and DEA Administrator Anne Milgram met with social media companies last week discuss how social media companies "must do more to stop the sale of fentanyl on their platforms.". "It's died down a bit," he says. 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. Recent Mexican administrations have responded to cartels primarily by deploying security forces, often spurring more violence: Felipe Caldern (20062012). More:Reputed Sinaloa drug cartel members set to go on trial Monday in El Paso, More:El Paso trial of reputed Sinaloa members focuses on drug cartel's operations, methods. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Meanwhile, the homicide rate continues to hover around record levels. President Obama widened the scope of aid to target fundamental reforms to Mexicos justice system and to develop crime-prevention programs at the community level, among other efforts, in what became known as Mrida 2.0 [PDF]. Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic? Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew J. Sutton for the Southern District of California and Acting Deputy Chief Katharine Wagner and Trial Attorney Kirk Handrich of the Criminal Divisions Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section, and Assistant U.S. with Justin Trudeau EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) Jurors got a reminder of the brutality in the drug trafficking business as images of a woman murdered were on display in federal court on Wednesday. The cartel is allegedly responsible for waves of murders, kidnappings and assassinations. The cases against the other 14 defendants arepending in federal court. Mexican gangs eventually shifted from being couriers for Colombian criminal organizations, including the infamous Cali and Medelln cartels, to being wholesalers. The country has seen more than 360,000 homicides since 2006, when the government declared war on the cartels. The Sinaloa Cartel has been responsible for a long string of murders throughout its history. These partnerships demonstrate our collective commitment to tracking down, apprehending, and dismantling one of the strongest drug trafficking cartels from the top down., Today, the Justice Department is announcing significant enforcement actions against the largest, most violent, and most prolific fentanyl trafficking operation in the world run by the Sinaloa Cartel, and fueled by Chinese precursor chemical and pharmaceutical companies, said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. Director of Media Relations Kelly Thornton (619) 546-9726 . The United States has partnered closely with its southern neighbor in this fight, providing Mexico with billions of dollars to modernize its security forces, reform its judicial system, and fund development projects aimed at curbing migration at Mexicos southern border. US President Joe Biden is due to visit Mexico for a North American leaders' summit next week. 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 fathers arrest and extradition to the United States. Garland said Friday that the Sinaloa Cartel is "largely responsible" for the increased fentanyl trafficking into the U.S. . Three brothers remain at large; Ovidio Guzman Lopez was arrested Jan. 5, 2023, by Mexican authorities in Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico. Iglesias was the head of a group of Sinaloa Cartel sicarios (assassins) until his arrest in 2012. Following Guzman Loeras arrest in January 2016 and extradition to the United States in January 2017, the Chapitos allegedly assumed their fathers former role as leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, along with Zambada Garcia and Damaso Lopez Nunez, aka Licenciado. Todays actions demonstrate the comprehensive approach the Justice Department is taking to disrupt fentanyl trafficking and save American lives., Today, we deliverthe most crushing blow to the Sinaloa Cartel since the conviction of Chapo Guzman, said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman. CBS News Poll: How GOP primary race could be Trump v. 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April 25, 2023 The two are accused of being involved in the Sinaloa cartels operations Jurez in connection to murders, kidnappings, and drug trafficking. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Nationwide, the country registered 493 drug-related deaths that month, 64 of them . More than 100 flights were cancelled at local airports as a result. Most of the illicit drugs entering the United States that are seized by authorities are discovered at official ports of entry, of which there are more than three hundred. 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. Mexico, along with China, is also a leading source of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid up to fifty times more potent than heroin. Ivan Sanchez-Hernandez, a former memberofthe Jurez municipal police force, pleaded guilty Feb. 28, 2020, to one count of continuing criminal enterprise. The US had put out a reward of up to $5m (4.2m) for information leading to his arrest or conviction, as well as that of three of his brothers who are also thought to have kept their positions of command in the group. As part of a plea agreement, several other drug and weapon charges were dismissed, according to court records. Ovidio Guzmn-Lpez, 32, alleged to be a leader of his father's former cartel, was captured in Culiacn and flown to Mexico City on Thursday. by James McBride Notorious Mexican cartel leader and hitman Edgar Valdez-Villareal has disappeared from the federal prison database, despite not being eligible for release until 2056. More than seventy-nine thousand people have disappeared since 2006, primarily at the hands of criminal organizations such as the cartels, though government forces also play a role. I found him. "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. But a federal judge in Mexico has now suspended any extradition process against him, according to local media. Updates? If youre shopping for a new purse, check out these luxurious bags that look quite high-end, but cost less than $100. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. "Our bus had just passed a spot where it happened - literally, if we had waited another 30 minutes before passing, we would have been in the cross of it. Updated on: April 14, 2023 / 7:23 PM Although he was arrested and sentenced to more than 20 years in prison in 1993, he continued to be a key figure in the cartel, and, according to various reports, he gained full control of the organization in 1995. The attorney general said the U.S. government would work to seek their extradition to face charges on American soil. The killers are rivals of the Sinaloa cartel, . The group formed when the Beltrn-Leyva brothers split from Sinaloa in 2008. A long-standing rival of Sinaloa, Jurez has its stronghold in the north-central state of Chihuahua, across the border from New Mexico and Texas. 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. He was sentenced to 27 years in prison. Mexican suppliers are responsible for most heroin and methamphetamine production, while cocaine is largely produced in Colombia and then transported to the United States by Mexican criminal organizations. Shows Urquidi was a former Chihuahua State police officer who worked for "Garduo cell leader Sergio "Comandante" Garduo Escobedo. 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. Zambada still iswanted by the U.S. governmenton several criminal charges related to the Sinaloa drug cartel. Guzman, who was reputed to be a billionaire, pulled off a series of Houdini-like escapes from Mexican. The witness said he had driven a vehicle and transported Salcedo. While other organizations expanded into human trafficking and extortion, among other activities, the Sinaloa cartel remained largely centred on drugs. VideoOn board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry, I didnt think make-up was made for black girls, Why there is serious money in kitchen fumes. Dozens of politicians were killed ahead of the countrys midterm elections in 2021, with many of the deaths attributed to the cartels. January 31, 2022, How Tobacco Laws Could Help Close the Racial Gap on Cancer, Interactive "Law Enforcement also took possession of millions of dollars in drug proceeds which were destined to be returned to the Cartel in Mexico. On January 8, 2016, however, Mexican officials announced that Guzmn had been captured in Los Mochis, Sinaloa. Since then, all four brothers have been arrested or killed, but their loyalists continue to operate throughout Mexico. March 23, 2023 He also created a new national police force, or gendarmerie, of several thousand officers. The spiralling cartel wars have left a backlog of 30,000 unidentified corpses languishing in . On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry. It is based in Culiacn, Sinaloa state, Mexico. Shed been on the opposite side of the Sinaloa cartel, which made her a prime target at the height of violence during the criminal organizations war with the Jurez cartel. Conversely, Californias booming cannabis industry has prompted traffickers to smuggle U.S.-grown marijuana across the border to Mexico, where lawmakers have yet to fully legalize the drug. Guzman was extradited to the U.S. in 2017. Sinaloa cartel, international crime organization that is among the most-powerful drug-trafficking syndicates in the world.