Two Mexican drug cartels, the Sinaloa and the Jalisco New Generation, are the most responsible for ramping up the drug epidemic in the United States, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Anne Milgram said in written comments submitted for a recent congressional hearing.
"The Sinaloa and Jalisco Cartels pose the greatest criminal drug threat the United States has ever faced," Milgram said in her written testimony before the Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance of the House Judiciary Committee. "These ruthless, violent, criminal organizations have associates, facilitators, and brokers in all 50 states in the United States, as well as in more than 100 countries around the world."
"The Sinaloa Cartel, the Jalisco Cartel, and their affiliates control the vast majority of the fentanyl global supply chain, from manufacture to distribution," Milgram said.
The Sinaloa Cartel is one of the oldest and most significant cartels. Formerly led by Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, it still has one of the largest international operations of the Mexican drug cartels, a Council on Foreign Relations background report says.
The Jalisco New Generation Cartel is the new emerging drug cartel in Mexico, a report from Global Guardian says. Based out of the Mexican state of Jalisco, it is fighting heavily to gain more territory and is responsible for much of the recent increased violence in Mexico.
The Sinaloa Cartel has more than 26,000 members, associates, facilitators, and brokers associated with it throughout the world and has a presence in 19 of the 32 states in Mexico. It imports drugs such as fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine into the U.S., Milgram’s testimony said.
“The Jalisco Cartel’s rapid expansion of its drug trafficking activities is characterized by the organization’s willingness to engage in violent confrontations with Mexican Government security forces and rival cartels. The Jalisco Cartel reportedly has a presence in 21 of the 32 Mexican states," Milgram said. “It has been identified that there are currently more than 18,800 members, associates, facilitators, and brokers affiliated with the Cartel around the world.”.
Milgram also said that the drug cartels are being directly aided by companies in the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
“Chemical companies within the PRC produce and sell the majority of precursor chemicals that are used by the Sinaloa and Jalisco Cartels to manufacture fentanyl and methamphetamine. These precursor chemicals from companies within the PRC are the foundation of the fentanyl and methamphetamine that are manufactured and transported from Mexico into the United States, and that are causing tens of thousands of drug-related deaths in our country,” her testimony said.
Also, “The Sinaloa and Jalisco Cartels utilize Chinese Money Laundering Organizations (CMLOs) in the United States and around the world to facilitate laundering drug proceeds. CMLOs use mirror transfers, trade-based money laundering and bulk cash movement to facilitate the exchange of foreign currency. The use of CMLOs by the cartels simplifies the money laundering process and streamlines the purchase of precursor chemicals utilized in manufacturing drugs,” her testimony said.
