United States.- This Friday, April 14, the Department of Justice announced the disclosure of the charges offentanyl traffickingweapons and money laundering contained in three Indictments against 28 accusedincluding 23 based in Mexicofour based in China and one based in Guatemala.
Since at least around 2014, the Sinaloa cartel has conducted a global manufacturing and distribution operation of fentanylsending massive amounts of fentanyl, a drug that has killed unprecedented numbers of Americans, to the USA.
The leadership of the cartel includes three sons of the former leader of the Sinaloa cartelJoaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera, alias “El Chapo”, known as the “little boys”: Iván Archivaldo Guzmán, Jesús Alfredo Guzmán, alias “Alfredo”, and Ovidio Guzmán López, alias “Ratón”.
Along with his co-conspirators, the little boys allegedly controlled extensive, multifaceted and international operations covering the trade of fentanylwhich was designed to pump staggering amounts of fentanyl into the USA, In the words of Iván Archivaldo Guzmán, flooding the United States with fentanyl to supply “streets of drug addicts”.
The Indictments returned today accuse not only the Chapitos but also the main lieutenants and leaders of the Sinaloa cartel; presumed manufacturers and distributors of the Sinaloa Cartel fentanyl; the heads of the violent armed security apparatus that protects the drug-trafficking operations of the Sinaloa cartel.
Sophisticated money launderers who repatriate drug proceeds from the Sinaloa cartel to Mexico; and multiple suppliers of chemical precursors in China that feed the operation of distribution of fentanyl from the Sinaloa Cartel.
Through these efforts, the Chapitos and the Sinaloa Cartel allegedly made hundreds of millions of dollars in profits by flooding the United States with fentanyl. Seven defendants are in custody pending extradition proceedings:
Charges and convictions
Iván Archivaldo, 39, Guzman, Jesús Alfredo Guzman, alias “Alfredo”, 36, and Ovidio Guzmán López, alias “Ratón”, 33, Oscar Noe Medina Gonzáles, “Panu”, Néstor Isidro Pérez Salas , the “Nini”, and Jorge Humberto Figueroa Benitez, the “27”, all of them are accused of: Continuation of the criminal enterprise; conspiracy to import fentanyl.
In addition to conspiracy fentanyl distribution; possession of machine guns and destructive devices; conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices; conspiracy to commit money laundering, and if convicted, the sentence would be Life Imprisonment.
Liborio Núñez Aguirre, alias “Karateca”, Noel Pérez López, alias “Tío”, Samuel León Alvarado, Luis Javier Benítez Espinoza, alias “El Catorce”, Alan Gabriel Núñez Herrera, Juan Pablo Lozano, alias “Camarón”, Carlos Limón, Jesus Tirado Andrade, Carlos Omar Felix Gutierrez.
As well as: Silvano Francisco Mariano, alias “Rayo”, Julio Marín González, Mario Alberto Jiménez Castro, alias “Kastor”, Sergio Duarte Frías, Ana Gabriela Rubio Zea, alias “Gaby”, Kun Jiang. , Yonghoa Wu, aka “Tim”, Yaquin Wu, aka “Lily”, and Huatamayo Yao, aka “Yao”.
All of the above are charged with: Conspiracy to import fentanyl; fentanyl distribution conspiracy; conspiracy to commit money laundering, and could lead to life in prison; Mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison.
Leobardo García Corrales, alias “Leo”, Martín García Corrales, alias “Tano”, alias “Cachuchas”, Humberto Beltrán Cuén, alias “Don Chino”, Anastasio Soto Vega, alias “Tachin”.
All of the above are charged with: Conspiracy to fentanyl import; possession of machine guns and destructive devices; conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices and could lead to life in prison; mandatory minimum of 40 years in prison.
Allegedly, the sons of the infamous leader of the Sinaloa Cartel ‘El Chapo’‘, Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar, Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar and Ovidio Guzmán López, commanded the fentanyl manufacturing and trafficking operation of the Sinaloa cartel.
Who are the “Chapitos”
Today’s charges target not only the leaders of the Sinaloa cartelbut rather the entire fentanyl infrastructure of the Cartel, including the armed enforcers who use abhorrent violence to protect the Cartel, the lab operators who produce untold amounts of fentanyl, the drug traffickers who move their deadly fentanyl in and throughout the USAthe money launderers who funnel the proceeds back to the Cartel, and the China-based chemical suppliers who service the Cartel.
The chapitos were pioneers in the manufacture and fentanyl trafficking, the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced, flooded it in the USA over the past eight years and have killed hundreds of thousands of Americans.
According to the allegations contained in the indictments, other court documents, and statements made during the court proceedings:
The Sinaloa Cartel (the “Cartel”) is one of the drug cartels most powerful in Mexico and is largely responsible for the manufacture and import of fentanyl for distribution in the United States. fentanyl is a dangerous synthetic opioid that is more than 50 times more potent than heroin.
fentanyl is now the leading cause of death among Americans ages 18 to 49 and has fueled the opioid epidemic that has been devastating families and communities in the USA during the last eight years.
Between 2019 and 2021, fatal overdoses increased by approximately 94%, and an estimated 196 Americans die each day from drug use. fentanyl.
the cartel is led, in part, by Iván Archivaldo Guzmán, Jesús Alfredo Guzmán and Ovidio Guzmán López, who are the sons of notorious former Cartel leader Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera, alias “El Chapo,” and are known collectively as the “Chapitos”.
Since approximately 2014, the alleged fentanyl trafficking operation of the little boys for the Cartel has grown exponentially in volume, scale and sophistication. Under the leadership of Chapitos, the Cartel operates a large fentanyl trafficking that integrates every step in the fentanyl trade, from manufacturing to distribution.
The members and affiliates of the Sign buy and import chemical precursors from fentanyl from China directly or through third countries, they make fentanyl in labs in the mountains of Sinaloa, they move that fentanyl across the border to the USAthey distribute that fentanyl through various networks that operate throughout the United States, and launder the proceeds back to Mexico.
As a fundamental part of the company fentanyl traffickingthe Cartel relies on and directs hundreds of violent and heavily armed soldiers (known as hit men) to protect the operations of fentanyl of the Cartel at every turn and intimidate others who might try to deceive, interfere with, or compete against the Cartel through kidnapping, torture, and murder with machine guns and other weapons.
The Chapitos hitmen allegedly operated under the direction of the little boys and Oscar Noe Medina Gonzáles, the “Panu”, Néstor Isidro Pérez Salas, the “Nini”, and Jorge Humberto Figueroa Benítez, the “27”, to kidnap, torture and kill anyone who opposed the little boys.
To make fentanyl, the Sign uses chemical precursors purchased mainly in China. As alleged, the Cartel relies on middlemen such as Ana Gabriela Rubio Zea, alias “Gaby,” who procure fentanyl precursor chemicals for the Cartel through Chinese chemical companies and the owners and operators of the Chinese chemical companies, including Kun Jiang. , Yonghoa Wu, aka “Tim”, Yaquin Wu, aka “Lily”, and Huatamayo Yao, aka “Yao”.
The Cartel it also employs qualified chemists, or “cooks,” who are experienced in synthesizing fentanyl from the Chinese-derived precursor chemicals. In a single day, a Cartel cook can make more than 100,000 pills using pill-pressing machines.
In some cases, traffickers Sign under the Chapitos they have tested the purity of their fentanyl by testing it on others. For example, in or around 2022, Pérez Salazar and Figueroa Benítez experimented on a woman by injecting her with repeated doses of fentanyl until she died.
Directed by the little boysthe trafficking of finished fentanyl pills and powder is a primary target of the Cartel and one of its most lucrative endeavors.
Most of the time, the Cartel’s fentanyl crosses into the USA at ports of entry, including concealed in secret compartments of automobiles, disguised among cargo on trailer trucks, concealed in luggage on airplanes, obscured through false documents in shipping containers, or concealed in or on the bodies of transport mules the drug.
Once fentanyl is transported to the United States, Cartel traffickers maintain designated stash locations where the fentanyl is stored, and the US-based Cartel distribution network then wholesales the fentanyl for retail distribution. throughout the United States, including New York City.
In 2022 alone, the DEA seized more than 57 million pills laced with fentanyl and more than 13,000 pounds of fentanyl powderthe equivalent of approximately 410 million life-threatening doses of fentanyl.
Finally, as alleged, the Cartel relies on increasingly sophisticated ways to launder fentanyl proceeds from drug dealers. United States to Mexico to enrich the Little boys.
For example, over the course of approximately two years, a single Cartel trafficker in the United States assisted in the laundering of more than $24 million in narcotics proceeds belonging to Ovid Guzman, by providing Cartel money launderers in the United States with approximately $15 million and sending approximately $9 million in bulk cash to Mexico hidden in secret compartments in cars.
Other suspected Cartel money launderers, including Mario Alberto Jiménez Castro, alias “Kastor,” and Sergio Duarte Frías, have used cryptocurrency wallets to launder hundreds of thousands of dollars in fentanyl proceeds for the Cartel.
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