More than 600 people were arrested in a weeklong series of operations targeting the Sinaloa drug cartel, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration announced on Monday.
The operations took place between Aug. 25 and Aug. 29, according to the DEA. During that timespan, DEA agents in 23 field divisions in the U.S., and seven “foreign regions,” carried out actions resulting in 617 arrests. They also led to the seizures of 480 kilograms of fentanyl powder, more than 700,000 counterfeit pills, roughly 2,200 kilograms of methamphetamine, roughly 7,500 kilograms of cocaine and 16 kilograms of heroin.
Altogether, around $12.8 million worth of currency and assets were seized, along with 420 firearms, the DEA said.
The DEA described it as a “coordinated action” combining the DEA’s focus on enforcement, intelligence, and domestic and international collaboration.
“These results demonstrate the full weight of DEA’s commitment to protecting the American people,” said DEA administrator Terrance Cole in a statement. “DEA will not relent until the Sinaloa Cartel is dismantled from top to bottom.”
In a February executive order, President Trump declared eight drug cartels as terrorist groups, including Sinaloa, which is considered the largest drug trafficking organization in the world. It is one of two main cartels based in Mexico, with the other, Jalisco New Generation, receiving the Trump administration’s terrorism designation as well.
The U.S. Department of Justice has prioritized breaking up the cartels since then, and the August enforcement actions mark the latest examples of operations against some of their top members.
In August, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada Garcia pleaded guilty to federal charges related to his founding role in the cartel, which included counts for drug trafficking, firearms and money laundering. Prosecutors alleged in indictments filed in New York and Texas that Zambada and other Sinaloa cartel leaders were to responsible for the distribution of heroin, cocaine, fentanyl and other drugs in huge quantities throughout the U.S.
Earlier last month, as part of a deal with the Trump administration, Mexico transferred 26 high-ranking cartel members to the U.S., including a leader of one drug trafficking organization closely aligned with Jalisco New Generation, and prominent figures with ties to the Sinaloa cartel as well as other violent groups.
“The Sinaloa Cartel remains one of the most significant threats to public safety, public health and our national security,” the DEA said when it announced the August operations. “There are tens of thousands of Sinaloa members, associates, and facilitators operating worldwide, in at least 40 countries who are responsible for the production, manufacturing, distribution, and operations related to trafficking dangerous and deadly synthetic drugs.”
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