Fighting fentanyl: U.S. Justice Department arrests alleged Sinaloa cartel leaders
The U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday officers have apprehended two alleged leaders of the Sinaloa cartel, one of the most dangerous organized crime syndicates in the world.
Attorney General Merrick Garland, delivered remarks on the arrests, and stated: “Last year, I said that the Justice Department would never stop working to hold accountable those who are responsible for the fentanyl epidemic.”
The cartel is largely responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans because of fentanyl members are smuggling over the southern border. Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada allegedly ran the Sinaloa cartel’s drug smuggling operation for decades and was a co-founder.
Zambada was arrested alongside Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, the son of Zambada’s ex-partner, by authorities in Texas on Thursday, according to the DOJ. The cartel is well known for smuggling fentanyl and other illicit drugs over the border, and money laundering.
“On Thursday, the Justice Department took into custody in El Paso two more alleged leaders of the Sinaloa cartel, one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world. Both men are facing multiple charges in the United States, for leading the cartel’s criminal operations including its deadly drug manufacturing and trafficking networks,” Garland said.
Zambada is facing charges for fentanyl trafficking, money laundering, firearms offenses, kidnapping, and conspiracy to commit murder. Guzman faces charges for trafficking large quantities of cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine.
Human trafficking has also become part of the cartel’s smuggling business, and the Sinaloa cartel has grown rapidly since 2000. Today, it is one of the most prolifically violent crime organizations, surpassing Pablo Escobar’s Medellín Cartel during its prime.
Data published by Our World in Data, shows the rate of violence within Mexican cartels has increased exponentially, spiking from 1,500 to 4,000 deaths per year, to over 18,000 deaths per year in 2021.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, fentanyl, which is a synthetic opioid 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, contributes to nearly 70% of all overdoses. Opioid deaths involving fentanyl in the U.S., are 25 times greater than they were in 2010. Over 70,000 people died from an overdose involving fentanyl in 2022.
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