DEA Agent Colin Dickey, head of DEA operations for the St. Louis Division, stated that the influence of cartels cannot be "underestimated" in response to the Missouri indictment of 29 individuals involved in drug trafficking operations. Dickey made the statement in a DEA press release on June 7.
"Mexico-based drug cartels should never be underestimated for their power and global reach," said Dickey, Head of DEA Operations in Eastern Missouri, according to Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). "The lethality of the illegal drugs these traffickers ship into St. Louis communities demonstrates that their greed trumps any concern for the health and safety of our citizens. DEA and our partners are determined to disrupt the cartels' supply chain and end their horrible business."
According to Just the News, alleged cartel leader Genaro Rosas-Vargas and 28 others were indicted in Missouri for drug trafficking and money laundering. Rosas-Vargas was arrested at the border for intent to distribute fentanyl in St. Louis, and the others were arrested in St. Louis and surrounding areas.
Over the investigation, 6 kilograms of fentanyl were seized, along with cocaine, methamphetamine, and $275,000 in profits from drug sales, according to the DEA press release.
"This investigation and indictment deals a ‘significant blow’ to cartel trafficking operations in the St. Louis area and Missouri," U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming said in the DEA press release.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was founded in 1973 to ensure proper implementation of U.S. laws regarding controlled substances and to bring entities involved in production, distribution or trafficking of such substances to either criminal or civil justice, according to its website. The current DEA Administrator is Anne Milgram, serving since 2021.
