Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced that 47 individuals connected to the Sinaloa Cartel have been indicted for drug and firearm trafficking. Garland made the statement in a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) press release on June 5.
"With this takedown, the Justice Department has dealt yet another blow to the Sinaloa Cartel and its associates," said B. Garland, according to U.S. Department of Justice. "I am grateful to the more than 400 law enforcement officers whose work in this operation resulted in dozens of arrests, charges against 47 defendants, and the seizure of firearms, meth, cocaine, heroin, and two million potentially lethal doses of fentanyl. We will continue to be relentless in our fight to protect American communities from the cartels."
According to the DOJ press release, out of the 47 individuals arrested, thirty-six have been apprehended across the country. Law enforcement seized four kilograms of fentanyl, along with cocaine, heroin, and 52 firearms.
One individual arrested on methamphetamine trafficking charges was U.S. Border Patrol Officer Alexander Grindley, according to a Department of Homeland Security press release.
The trafficking operation was based in Imperial Valley, California, and was connected with the Mexican Sinaloa cartel. It has been the object of an ongoing investigation.
The Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) 2024 National Drug Threat Assessment names fentanyl as the deadliest drug in American history.
Garland has served as the United States Attorney General since 2021, according to the Department of Justice website.
