Javier Algredo Vazquez, a 56-year-old chemical broker from Queens, New York, has been sentenced to nearly 19 years in prison. Vazquez was found guilty of conspiracy to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine, conspiracy to distribute a List I chemical for the production of methamphetamine, and conspiracy to launder money in July 2023. He was accountable for providing the Jalisco New Generation Cartel with materials necessary for the production of fentanyl and methamphetamine.
According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Vazquez's conviction is the result of a multi-agency investigation led by Homeland Security Investigations Houston and Drug Enforcement Administration Los Angeles. The announcement was made by HSI Executive Associate Director Katrina W. Berger, acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and Drug Enforcement Administrator (DEA) Anne Milgram. Court documents reveal that Vazquez procured over 5 million kilograms of chemicals, including methylamine, which he sent to Mexico for use by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. The cartel would then produce illicit drugs and sell them back in the U.S.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) states that the volume of chemicals handled by Vazquez could have been used to create more than two billion doses of fentanyl and 700 million doses of methamphetamine. Additionally, he transferred millions of dollars from the U.S. to chemical suppliers in China and India to acquire these chemicals.
InSight Crime reports that the chemicals dealt by Vazquez are easier to obtain on the global market. For instance, methylamine and benzylfentanyl - crucial components in fentanyl production - are regulated in both the U.S. and Mexico but not in countries like India and Germany. Although Vazquez sourced his chemicals from several countries worldwide, most allegedly originated from China.
ICE describes the Jalisco New Generation Cartel as one of the "largest" and most "dangerous" drug cartels operating in Mexico. The cartel is known for being a primary supplier of illicit drugs such as methamphetamine and fentanyl to the U.S.
In her statement before the DOJ on July 27, 2023, Milgram noted that the Jalisco New Generation Cartel has over 18,800 members, associates, facilitators, and brokers worldwide. It has a presence in 21 out of Mexico's 32 states. The cartel's expansion of drug trafficking and territory coincides with its "violent" tendencies, as it is known to engage in violence with the Mexican government, security forces, and rival cartels.
