2 weeks Ago
EL CENTRO, California — A federal grand jury has indicted 22 alleged members of a sophisticated drug trafficking organization with ties to the Sinaloa-based Beltran Leyva Cartel. The group is accused of importing and distributing over a ton of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine into the United States, laundering illicit proceeds, and attempting to export firearms to Mexico. In a coordinated operation across California, Arizona, Iowa, and Colorado, more than 150 federal, state, and local law enforcement officials arrested 10 defendants and executed six search warrants in Imperial County, according to a press release.
The search continues for 12 fugitives. Authorities have seized over 1,000 kilograms of drugs, including methamphetamine, cocaine, and more than 750 kilograms of fentanyl, along with 10 firearms and over $250,000 in narcotics proceeds. "We have literally seized a ton of drugs that were destined to hit our streets and harm our community," said Acting U.
S. Attorney Andrew Haden. "By disrupting this prolific, cartel-linked trafficking network, we are preventing the devastation and violence it brings.
" Shawn Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of HSI San Diego, stated, "Today’s enforcement action marks the culmination of a complex, long-term HSI investigation, demonstrating the strong collaboration between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies nationwide." The defendants are alleged to be part of a Mexicali, Mexico- and Imperial County-based transnational criminal organization operating as a distribution cell for the Beltrán Leyva Cartel, specifically associated with Fausto Isidro Meza Flores, also known as El Chapo Isidro. The investigation involved undercover operations, wiretaps, controlled purchases, and searches leading to significant drug seizures.
During the fourth round of wiretaps, an Imperial County-based narcotics subdistributor was shot multiple times in Mexicali and died months later. Investigators believe the subdistributor was lured to Mexico and shot by a co-conspirator related to their drug trafficking and money laundering activities. In one instance on January 23, 2023, authorities seized approximately 1.
4 million fentanyl pills after intercepting phone conversations about moving the pills in a semi-truck. Law enforcement conducted a traffic stop on the drug-laden tractor-trailer, locating eight duffel bags containing approximately 148.53 kilograms of fentanyl pills.
"Close coordination and aggressive action amongst allied law enforcement agencies just made communities nationwide safer places to live and work," said El Centro Border Patrol Sector Chief Patrol Agent Gregory Bovino. "The well-executed takedown of this drug trafficking organization heralds a new day in homeland security where we will relentlessly apprehend and prosecute transnational threats.".
