An enormous nationwide crackdown on the lethal Sinaloa Cartel has culminated in additional than 600 arrests, officers say.
The massive swoop included 171 suspects in New England, as a part of a week-long operation that focused one of many world’s strongest drug trafficking organizations, in line with officers.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) introduced Monday that from Aug. 25 to 29, brokers arrested 617 individuals with ties to the cartel throughout 23 discipline divisions within the US.
The enforcement motion, billed as a DEA surge, additionally netted a large haul of medication, firearms, and money.
Among the many seizures: 480 kilograms of fentanyl powder, 2,209 kilograms of methamphetamine, 7,469 kilograms of cocaine, 16.5 kilograms of heroin, greater than 714,000 counterfeit drugs, 420 firearms, and $11 million in money.
“These outcomes show the complete weight of DEA’s dedication to defending the American individuals,” DEA Administrator Terrance Cole mentioned in an announcement.
“Each kilogram of poison seized, each greenback stripped from the cartels, and each arrest we make represents lives saved and communities defended. DEA is not going to relent till the Sinaloa Cartel is dismantled from high to backside.”
In New England, officers mentioned 171 suspected cartel members have been arrested, and 244 kilograms of medication, 22,115 counterfeit drugs, $1.3 million in money, and 33 weapons have been seized.
Arrest totals included 64 in Connecticut, 49 in Massachusetts, 33 in New Hampshire, 11 in Maine, 10 in Rhode Island, and three in Vermont.
“They’re our public enemy primary in New England,” mentioned Jarod Neglect, Particular Agent in Cost of the DEA’s New England Division.
One of many largest coordinated takedowns within the area got here on Aug. 27 in Franklin, New Hampshire, the place 27 individuals have been arrested after a three-month investigation.
Authorities mentioned the suspects had trafficked fentanyl and methamphetamine from Lawrence, Massachusetts.
The operation underscored the cartel’s attain into each giant city facilities and small rural communities.
“This reveals that the Sinaloa Cartel’s tentacles unfold far and deep; no neighborhood is spared,” mentioned Jim Scott, Particular Agent in Cost of the Louisville Division, which covers Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia.
Fox Information Digital reached out to the Drug Enforcement Administration for remark.
