Nearly 50 people, including a border agent, arrested

Lina PortmanJune 7, 2024

2 4 minutes read

Nearly 50 people have been charged in Southern California after hundreds of federal, state and local law enforcement officials dismantled a drug trafficking ring linked to the Sinaloa Cartel, the U.S. Department of Defense announced Wednesday. Justice.

Fourteen indictments were unsealed Wednesday against 47 alleged members of a fentanyl and methamphetamine distribution ring based in Imperial Valley, California, according to the Justice Department. Federal prosecutors said the 47 people were charged with a variety of crimes, including drug trafficking, money laundering and firearms offenses.

More than 400 federal, state and local law enforcement authorities were involved in a “coordinated operation” Wednesday morning, during which 25 search warrants were executed in parts of California as well as in Phoenix , Arizona, and Salem, Oregon, the Justice Department said. » declared justice in a press release.

Authorities arrested 36 defendants and were still searching for 11 fugitives as of Wednesday afternoon. Among those arrested was Alexander Grindley, who allegedly trafficked methamphetamine while working as a U.S. Border Patrol agent.

Authorities also confiscated significant quantities of fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin, in addition to seizing more than 50 firearms, according to the Justice Department.

“With this takedown, the Department of Justice has dealt another blow to the Sinaloa Cartel and its associates,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement Wednesday. “We will continue to fight tirelessly to protect American communities from cartels.”

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Ghost guns traded for meth

Prosecutors said members of the drug trafficking ring belonged to other trafficking organizations and supplied illegal drugs throughout Imperial County, located about 130 miles east of San Diego. They operated in Mexicali, Mexico, and the towns of Brawley, El Centro, Westmoreland, Imperial, Calexico, Niland, Holtville, and Calipatria.

In total, authorities seized nearly nine pounds of fentanyl — which equates to about two million potentially lethal doses — and more than 714 pounds of methamphetamine throughout their investigation, according to court records. Fifty-two firearms were also confiscated during the investigation.

The Department of Justice described two seizures on June 30, 2021, during which authorities found various firearms. In one case, agents seized 15 lower rounds, three upper rounds, 18 magazines, 40 9mm Luger rounds and approximately 400 rounds of Russian-made Red Army .223 ammunition, the Justice Department said .

“None of the firearms or firearm parts had serial numbers or identifying markings. They were all ghost guns,” the department added. “Wiretaps showed that defendant Cory Gershen provided phantom guns to other members of the organization in exchange for methamphetamine.”

Agents also discovered that the confiscated assault rifles were to be sent to the network's supply source in Mexico.

In the second case, agents seized two AR-style ghost guns, a Colt .380 semi-automatic handgun, and Russian rifle ammunition from another member of the ring, who prosecutors identified as Guadalupe Molina -Flores.

The price of fentanyl pills has fallen in recent years

USA TODAY previously reported that synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl, contribute to 2 in 3 overdose deaths. These incidents have increased in recent years due to the widespread availability of cheap, illicit fentanyl.

The drug is often manufactured overseas and smuggled into the United States. A National Institutes of Health study released in May found that law enforcement seized more than 115 million pills containing illicit fentanyl in 2023, a significant increase from 2017, when fewer than 50,000 pills were seized. been confiscated.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, deaths related to synthetic opioids – particularly fentanyl – continued to rise in 2022 with more than 73,800 overdose deaths reported. That same year, the California Department of Public Health reported 24 opioid-related overdose deaths in Imperial County.

“The annual mortality rate for 2022 was 13.57 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, an increase of 41% compared to 2021,” the Ministry of Justice said.

The investigation into the Imperial Valley-based drug trafficking ring also found that the price of a fentanyl pill has decreased in recent years. The DOJ said targets of the investigation obtained fentanyl pills at approximately $1.65 to $1.75 per pill in June 2021.

Prices then dropped to around $1.25 per pill in December 2021, and by May the same pills were being sold for 45 cents per pill, according to the DOJ.

“The sharp drop in prices reflects the increased supply and availability of fentanyl smuggled into the United States and the close ties between the targets of this investigation and their Sinaloa Cartel fentanyl pill supplier,” the Department of Justice said. Justice.

Drug cartels, “at the heart” of the drug crisis in the United States

The Sinaloa Cartel is considered “the largest and most powerful drug trafficking organization in the Western Hemisphere,” according to the nonprofit think tank InSight Crime. The organization has a global network and is primarily involved in trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, marijuana and heroin.

In the Drug Enforcement Administration's 2024 National Drug Threat Assessment, the agency noted that fentanyl and methamphetamine are responsible for the majority of fatal drug poisonings across the country and blamed the influence drug cartels.

“The Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels are at the heart of this crisis,” according to the assessment, which adds that the scope of the cartels has “effectively eliminated competition in U.S. markets and allowed cartel members to establish a presence in every American state. “

The USA TODAY Network reported on the far-reaching impact of cartels in parts of the western United States, particularly near the Portland area, Puget Sound and Alaska, where quiet communities are becoming targets for drug traffickers while cartels seek to further expand their network.

Lina Portman

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