A witness said Jos Antonio Marrufo, who was at the helm of the Sinaloas operations in Jurez, had a team of people that dealt with murders, kidnappings and dumping of bodies. Renewing America, Timeline While still active, LFM has weakened and fragmented in recent years. All rights reserved. The trial began with juryselection Oct. 4, with a verdict reached Friday. During interrogation, Campos told authorities he distributes illegal narcotics for the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico, according to the criminal complaint. Jurez Cartel. SAN DIEGO - Four sons of Joaqun Guzmn Loera, the imprisoned former Sinaloa Cartel leader known as El Chapo, were indicted by a federal grand jury for large-scale drug trafficking, money laundering and violent crimes in connection with their assumption of cartel leadership following their father's arrest and extradition to the United States. According to the DEA, the "rapid expansion of its. Sinaloa cartel assassins group leader 'Grim Reaper' gets life in 'Wedding Murders' case. Federal prosecutors said the witness could be used to validate the video and transcription but defense attorneys argued his objectivity may have already been tainted. A report by Bloomberg describes how Sinaloa leader Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman has during the last seven years gained control of drug supply and wholesale . Mexican suppliers are responsible for most heroin and methamphetamine production, while cocaine is largely produced in Colombia and then transported to the United States by Mexican criminal organizations. This prosecution is also part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. January 31, 2022, How Tobacco Laws Could Help Close the Racial Gap on Cancer, Interactive This case and others we have brought out of the Southern District of Californiademonstrate our unwavering resolveto dismantle the Sinaloa Cartel by attacking it at every level., These indictments have been a long time in the making and we wouldnt be here without the collaboration of our local, state, federal, and international partners, said Special Agent in Charge Stacey Moy of the FBIs San Diego Field Office. Testimony came from several Mexicanlocal and state law enforcement officers who were working for the cartels and taking bribes to ignore the drug and weapon trafficking done by the criminal organization. Originally a paramilitary enforcement arm for the Gulf Cartel, Los Zetas was singled out by the DEA in 2007 as the countrys most technologically advanced, sophisticated, and violent group of its kind. In sweeping indictments, the Justice Department targeted two dozen operatives in the Chapitos network of the Sinaloa cartel. Religion and Foreign Policy Webinars, A Conversation with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada, Virtual Event Ovidio Guzmn-Lpez, 32, alleged to be a leader of his father's former cartel, was captured in Culiacn and flown to Mexico City on Thursday. But during and after the arrest, 10 soldiers and 19 suspects were killed. The spiralling cartel wars have left a backlog of 30,000 unidentified corpses languishing in . The vehicle was guarded during transport, he added. Of the 24 charged, eight are in custody across the globe. The capture in 2016 of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, the ex-leader of the powerful Sinaloa cartel, sparked a struggle for control of northwestern Mexico's crime and trafficking underworld. Two Mexican Air Force aircraft were forced to make emergency landings after they were hit by gunfire from the cartel, Defence Minister Sandoval said. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. Powerful figures in the Guadalajara organization, the two men became leaders in the Sinaloa cartel. Defense attorneys for Urquidi and Iglesias questioned the validity of the video the jurors saw and the transcript of what was said in the video. Several other drug and weaponcharges were dismissed as part of a plea agreement, according to court records. The victims' bodies were discovered by Jurez police a few days later in the bed of an abandoned pickup, officials said. "Law Enforcement also took possession of millions of dollars in drug proceeds which were destined to be returned to the Cartel in Mexico. Homicides declined in the first years of Pea Nietos presidency. The cartels flourished during the seven decades that Mexico was ruled by a single party, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). A Congressional Research Service report details the scope and activities [PDF] of Mexicos drug trafficking groups. More:Sinaloa cartel members, law enforcement testify in 2nd week of 'Wedding Murders' trial. With strongholds in nearly half of Mexicos statesparticularly those along the Pacific coast in the northwest and near the countrys southern and northern bordersand operations in as many as fifty countries, it has a larger international footprint than any of its Mexican rivals. Another splinter group of the BLO, Los Rojos operates in central and southwestern Mexico and relies largely on kidnapping and extortion. 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. In Mexico, the cartels use a portion of their vast profits to pay off judges, officers, and politicians. These partnerships demonstrate our collective commitment to tracking down, apprehending, and dismantling one of the strongest drug trafficking cartels from the top down., Today, the Justice Department is announcing significant enforcement actions against the largest, most violent, and most prolific fentanyl trafficking operation in the world run by the Sinaloa Cartel, and fueled by Chinese precursor chemical and pharmaceutical companies, said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. Announcing the charges on Friday, Attorney General Merrick Garland and Justice Department officials laid the loss of hundreds of thousands of American lives from fentanyl squarely at the feet of the defendants. The Chapitos allegedly used cargo aircraft, private aircraft, submarines and other submersible and semi-submersible vessels, container ships, supply vessels, go-fast boats, fishing vessels, buses, rail cars, tractor trailers, automobiles, and private and commercial interstate and foreign carriers to transport their drugs and precursor chemicals. But during and after the arrest, 10 soldiers and 19 . Beltrn-Leyva Organization (BLO). But just six months later, the AMLO administration drew outcry from U.S. officials by disbanding a DEA-trained anti-narcotics force that had worked closely with U.S. law enforcement for decades. The indictment describes the cartels alleged drug transportation and distribution networks; its financial infrastructure that has laundered hundreds of millions of dollars in illicit proceeds; and the extensive use of violence to maintain power, including an internal power struggle. Furious gang members set up road blocks, set fire to dozens of vehicles and attacked planes at a local airport. The charges stem from a decades-long, multi-district investigation by the Southern District of California, the Department of Justice Criminal Divisions Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section, the Northern District of Illinois, and their law enforcement partners. The news comes just one day after Garland and Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco met with members of Mexican security officials in Washington, D.C. in part to discuss the fentanyl crisis. A long-standing rival of Sinaloa, Jurez has its stronghold in the north-central state of Chihuahua, across the border from New Mexico and Texas. The team used a stolen Jeep to transport the bodies, he said. But the alliance forged in blood should now evolve to be powered by chips, batteries, and clean technology. "The violence gave rise to Ciudad Juarez being named the deadliest city in the world.. That state was long involved in the illegal drug industry as home to marijuana and poppy crops, and it was also the birthplace of numerous drug traffickers, including Hctor Luis Palma Salazar and Joaqun Guzmn Loera, who was known as El Chapo (Shorty). The U.S. Department of State, through its Narcotics Rewards Program, is offering rewards of up to $10 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Ivan Guzman Salazar, Alfredo Guzman Salazar, and Ovidio Guzman Lopez and up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Joaquin Guzman Lopez. According to reports, Ismael (El Mayo) Zambada Garca, one of the cartels original members, and Guzmns sons assumed control of the organization, which remained incredibly powerful. The Good Friday Agreement offers lessons for trying to end the war between Ukraine and Russia. President Obama widened the scope of aid to target fundamental reforms to Mexicos justice system and to develop crime-prevention programs at the community level, among other efforts, in what became known as Mrida 2.0 [PDF]. Guzman was extradited to the U.S. in 2017. In August 2022, a judge ordered the former attorney general who oversaw the original investigation to stand trial on charges of forced disappearance, failure to report torture, and misconduct. Dozens of vehicles were set alight and at least two planes at Sinaloa airports were hit by gunfire, in attacks blamed on the Sinaloa cartel. The fuselage of a plane scheduled to fly from Culiacn to Mexico City was hit by gunfire during the operation on Thursday morning as it was preparing for take-off, Mexican airline Aeromexico said. Mexican drug cartels are leading suppliers of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and other illicit narcotics to the United States. The indictment alleges that for years, Joaqun Guzmn Loeras (El Chapo) sons have destroyed lives and communities through drug trafficking and violence: their time is up, said DEA Special Agent in Charge Shelly Howe. The U.S. government, despite waging a war on drugs and conducting other counternarcotics efforts abroad, has made little progress in reducing demand. The two are accused of being involved in the Sinaloa cartels operations in Jurez in connection to murders, kidnappings, and drug trafficking. Beheading By Chainsaw Photo: Mexico Attorney General's Office / via CT Post / Public Domain First published on April 14, 2023 / 11:53 AM. Suspect in "killer clown" case pleads guilty in 1990 murder of Florida . We may have been far from it but we were close enough to see many people driving pretty fast in the opposite direction.". Mexico later deployed twenty-five thousand National Guard members to secure its borders, which some experts say increased violence and diminished the countrys cartel-fighting capacity. Thousands of Mexicansincluding politicians, students, and journalistsdie in the conflict every year. After Mexican traffickers smuggle wholesale shipments of drugs into the United States, local groups and street gangs manage retail-level distribution in cities throughout the country. Many shops were also looted and gunfire exchanges took place between security forces and gang members. The Chapitos subsequently amassed greater control over the Sinaloa Cartel by allegedly threatening and causing violence against Damaso Lopez Nunez, his family, and his associates and, as a result, became principal leaders and drug traffickers within the Sinaloa Cartel. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, Mexican cartels represent the greatest drug-related threat, supplying heroin, marijuana, methamphetamines, and other drugs, to the United States. As Mexico gained popularity as a drug route, the strength of its criminal organizations grew, especially that of the Sinaloa cartel, which benefited from Guzmns innovative methods of smuggling, notably through tunnels, and his extensive use of bribes. I found him. Marrufo interrogated the man in a safe house, the witness said. But on Monday, Mexican President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador blasted the U.S. for spying on the Sinaloa cartel without first gaining his government's permission. CBS News Poll: How GOP primary race could be Trump v. 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The New Yorker joins Mexican mothers as they search for the bodies of their children, who have disappeared amid Mexicos war on drugs. In 2014 Guzmn was apprehended in Mazatln, Sinaloa, Mexico, but the following year he escaped from prison through a tunnel. The cartel is allegedly responsible for waves of murders, kidnappings and assassinations. His father, Joaqun "El Chapo" Guzmn, is serving a life sentence in the US after being found guilty in 2019 of drug trafficking and money laundering. "We've also seen security guards, some in cars and some in big tanks going south. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. The Sinaloa Cartel has been responsible for a long string of murders throughout its history. Corrections? The trials are part of a large indictment by a federal grand jury that included Sinaloa cartel leaders Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman and Ismael "Mayo" Zambada Garcia.
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