Janero Van DeMario Garrett, 49, a United States citizen and multi-convicted felon, was apprehended in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico on July 17 after a joint operation involving the Drug Enforcement Administration Detroit and Mexico offices, U.S. Marshals from both countries, FBI-Detroit, and Mexican authorities, according to an announcement by United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr., on July 21. Garrett faces federal narcotics trafficking charges in the Eastern District of Michigan as well as state firearms charges in Wayne County.
Gorgon made the announcement alongside Joseph O. Dixon, special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration Detroit Field Division.
According to a federal criminal complaint, on October 31, 2024, Garrett fled from Detroit police officers attempting a traffic stop at high speed before escaping on foot with a roller bag containing 10 kilograms of cocaine. Investigators later recovered the cocaine from a trash can along his route and found an additional three kilograms of cocaine plus $606,913 in suspected drug proceeds at his residence.
“The Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) works with our foreign partners to keep Americans safe by prosecuting drug dealers who harm our people. Hiding in another country will not save you. No defendant is beyond our reach,” said Gorgon.
“This individual was wanted on federal drug trafficking charges, and today’s arrest demonstrates that no one can evade justice indefinitely. Drug trafficking fuels violence, addiction, and instability in our communities, and the DEA will remain committed to working with our law enforcement partners around the globe to identify, locate, and apprehend those who engage in these criminal activities,” said Dixon.
If convicted of narcotics offenses as charged in this case—which is part of the HSTF initiative established by Executive Order 14159—Garrett faces at least ten years in prison. The case is being investigated by the DEA and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Paul Kuebler. Authorities remind that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.