US Charges 28 Sinaloa Cartel Members, Including 'El Chapo's' Sons, With Fentanyl Charges

[Judi Lynn]

By Sol Prendido 4/14/2023 11:54:00 AM

The situation occurs in view of the US investigations into fentanyl trafficking.

The U.S. Department of Justice today filed charges against 28 members of the Sinaloa Cartel, including the sons of drug trafficker Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán, as part of an extensive investigation into fentanyl trafficking.

Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the charges along with U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Director Anne Milgram and other top federal prosecutors.

The charges were brought against Sinaloa Cartel leaders, as well as alleged chemical suppliers, laboratory supervisors, fentanyl traffickers, security chiefs, financial operators and arms traffickers.

The indictments announced Friday charge Guzman's three sons, known as 'Los Chapitos,' who have earned a reputation as the most violent and aggressive faction of the cartel.

The indictments also charge Chinese and Guatemalan nationals accused of supplying the precursor chemicals needed to manufacture fentanyl. Other defendants in the cases include those accused of running drug manufacturing laboratories and providing security and weapons for the drug trade, prosecutors said.

More:
http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2023/04/us-charges-28-sinaloa-cartel-members.html

[MichMan]

1. I've seen multiple posts here stating Mexico has nothing to do with it.

Were they wrong?

[Judi Lynn]

3. El Chapo's sons still live in Mexico, to be close to their business, no doubt about that.

Have never heard of them identifying with any other place in the world.

It's doubtful Los Capitos would be anywhere else as something as wild and explosive as their cartel and its many, many operatives would require constant supervision and involvement.

As to how far the reach of Sinaloa extends into the government, it would be anyone's guess, since decades have proven the cartels have had contacts going right up to the President's associates, at least, all levels of politicians, and police, and military.

To deny that would be deceptive.

[Judi Lynn]

4. I read recently El Chapo likes Donald Trump! Prefers him to former Pres. Obama.

As a fellow stupid guy, he admires Trump.

They undoubtedly have almost everything in common: low intellect, ferocious greed and ill-will.

[Judi Lynn]

6. No doubt at all Trump would worship El Chapo, just as he does Putin, Kim Jong Un, etc.

Making El Chapo one of his special buddies would be rapturous for him, no doubt at all, he would crave thought the of El Chapo's sicarios sneaking everywhere to murder Trump enemies.

Didn't know Trump got him moved away from the South. Interesting.

[Bev54]

7. And other than MSNBC nobody else covered the press briefing by DOJ.

8 people have already been arrested, included the top 2 of the Sinaloa gang. I thought the fentanyl issue was a big problem in the US but nobody is interested in a huge step taken by LE to curb it.

[Judi Lynn]

8. It's absolutely strange. We can be sure if Trump's "D.O.J." with Bob Barr did this,

we'd never hear the end of it! Of course, how likely would that have been, after all???

Found the statement from today:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, April 14, 2023

Justice Department Announces Charges Against Sinaloa Cartel’s Global Operation
“Chapitos” Charged in Department’s Latest Actions to Disrupt Flow of Illegal Fentanyl and Other Dangerous Drugs


The fentanyl crisis in America – fueled in large part by the Sinaloa cartel – threatens our public health, our public safety, and our national security,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “Today’s indictments target every element of the Sinaloa Cartel's trafficking network and reflect the Justice Department's commitment to attacking every aspect of this threat: from the chemical companies in China that spawn fentanyl precursors, to the illicit labs that produce the poison, to the networks and money launderers and murderers that facilitate its distribution. Just as we have gone on offense against terrorists and cyber criminals around the globe, the Department is now waging a relentless campaign to disrupt the production and trafficking of fentanyl – before it can reach its victims.”

“Today’s indictments send a clear message to the Chapitos, the Sinaloa Cartel, and criminal drug networks around the world that the DEA will stop at nothing to protect the national security of the United States and the safety and health of the American people,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram. “The Chapitos pioneered the manufacture and trafficking of fentanyl – the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced – flooded it into the United States for the past eight years and killed hundreds of thousands of Americans. Over the last year and a half, the DEA proactively infiltrated the Sinaloa Cartel and the Chapitos network, obtained unprecedented access to the organization’s highest levels, and followed them across the world. I am grateful to the men and women of the DEA for their exceptional work on this case, which is the beginning of our work as ‘One DEA’ to dismantle every part of the criminal cartels that are killing Americans at record rates.”

“Far too many Americans have become victims in the national fentanyl crisis. These cartels have shown us they will stop at nothing to manufacture, traffic, and push these dangerous drugs to every corner of our country,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “Today’s indictments show that the FBI and our law enforcement partners will never tire in our pursuit not only to shut down their criminal enterprises, but also to go after individuals in their network. I want to thank the FBI team continuing to work on these cases everyday as we join with our law enforcement partners to tackle this national epidemic.”

“This indictment is another example of how this administration is taking on the cartels and their transnational criminal networks, and sending a clear message that we are going to hold them accountable,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “I commend our workforce at Homeland Security Investigations and our federal partners who are relentless in their efforts to stop the scourge of fentanyl. Today’s announcement exemplifies a whole-of-government approach to protecting our homeland that is yielding results.”

The Sinaloa Cartel is one of the most powerful drug cartels in the world and is largely responsible for the manufacturing and importing 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 for Americans ages 18 to 49, and it has fueled the opioid epidemic that has been ravaging families and communities across the United States for approximately the past eight years. Between 2019 and 2021, fatal overdoses increased by approximately 94%, with an estimated 196 Americans dying each day from fentanyl.

More:
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-charges-against-sinaloa-cartel-s-global-operation

[Bev54]

11. Yes I watched the briefing so I checked the other channels- nada.

[Judi Lynn]

9. US Claims El Chapo's Sons Fed People to Tigers

Prosecutors claim that Los Chapitos also tested illicit fentanyl produced by the Sinaloa Cartel on humans in a slew of new charges.

KH
By Keegan Hamilton
Nathaniel Janowitz
By Nathaniel Janowitz



EL CHAPO'S SONS JESUS ALFREDO GUZMÁN SALAZAR, IVÁN ARCHIVALDO GUZMÁN AND OVIDIO GUZMÁN LÓPEZ. PHOTOS: DEA

When the Sinaloa Cartel cooks up a batch of fentanyl at a clandestine lab in Mexico, they sometimes test the drugs before shipping them north to customers in the United States. And according to prosecutors in the U.S, those experiments can be gruesome.

“Two of the defendants tested the potency of the cartel's fentanyl on individuals who were tied down,” said Attorney General Merrick Garland, revealing a slew of new charges on Friday against the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, collectively known as Los Chapitos, and their cartel henchmen. “In another instance, those defendants experimented on a woman they had been ordered to shoot. Instead, they injected her repeatedly with fentanyl until she overdosed and died.”

The cartel hitmen, Garland said, also “fed some of their victims dead and alive to two tigers belonging to the Chapitos.”

Garland announced new federal indictments against Los Chapitos and more than 20 alleged collaborators around the world, claiming the group “is largely responsible for the surge of fentanyl into the United States over the last eight years.”

Another time, Garland said, “after an addict died testing a batch of the cartel’s fentanyl, one of the defendants sent the batch to the United States anyway.”

- linked video:

More:
https://www.vice.com/en/article/ak3gka/el-chapo-sons-los-chapitos-fentanyl-fed-people-to-tigers

[Judi Lynn]

10. The foremost assassin for los Chapitos is "El Nini"