Federal Agents Target Sinaloa Drug Cartel, Arrest 617 Suspects

The DEA seized thousands of pounds of drugs, including fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin, along with cash and firearms.

Drug Enforcement Administration agents working at an undisclosed location. Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images

A nationwide crackdown on the Mexico-based Sinaloa cartel has resulted in hundreds of arrests and drug seizures, federal officials announced this week.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on Sept. 8 announced 617 arrests as well as the seizure of 1,058 pounds (480 kilograms) of fentanyl powder, 714,707 counterfeit pills, 4,870 pounds (2,209 kilograms) of methamphetamine, 16,466 pounds (7,469 kilograms) of cocaine, and 36 pounds (16.55 kilograms) of heroin.

More than $11 million in currency and over $1.6 million in assets were also seized in the operation, along with 420 firearms.

“These results demonstrate the full weight of DEA’s commitment to protecting the American people,” said DEA Administrator Terrance Cole in a statement. “Every kilogram of poison seized, every dollar stripped from the cartels, and every arrest we make represents lives saved and communities defended. DEA will not relent until the Sinaloa Cartel is dismantled from top to bottom.”

In an executive order earlier this year, President Donald Trump declared eight drug cartels as foreign terrorist groups, including the Sinaloa cartel, one of the largest and most powerful in Mexico. The Department of Justice (DOJ) has prioritized breaking up cartels and other gangs amid a broader push against crime.

Brian M. Clark, the special agent in charge of the DEA field office in Los Angeles, said in a statement that more efforts are needed against drug cartels.

“This ruthless cartel is intent on cashing in, permeating our communities with their poison, with no regard to human suffering,” he said. “For that reason, DEA’s work remains critical and laser-focused. The success achieved during this operation is a direct result of the unwavering and exceptional work by the men and women of DEA.”

The DEA release also said, “There are tens of thousands of Sinaloa members, associates, and facilitators operating worldwide, in at least 40 countries who are responsible for the production, manufacturing, distribution, and operations related to trafficking dangerous and deadly synthetic drugs.”

Last month, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada Garcia pleaded guilty to federal charges in connection with his role in the Sinaloa Cartel, including money laundering, firearms charges, and drug trafficking. U.S. prosecutors accused Garcia and other cartel leaders of trafficking fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, and other drugs across the United States.

The Treasury Department in mid-August said it sanctioned two other Mexican drug cartels, Carteles Unidos and Los Viagras, and seven affiliated individuals while accusing the groups of engaging in terrorism, drug trafficking, and other crimes.

The Trump administration has recently signaled that it may use the U.S. military to conduct operations against major criminal organizations such as cartels and gangs. Earlier this month, the U.S. conducted an airstrike against what Trump administration officials say was a boat carrying drugs into the United States that had departed Venezuela with 11 Tren de Aragua gang members on board.

“Killing cartel members who poison our fellow citizens is the highest and best use of our military,” Vice President JD Vance wrote on social media on Sept. 6.