The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) executed a nationwide crackdown on the Mexican Sinaloa Cartel, they announced on Monday, culminating in the seizure of thousands of pounds of drugs and the arrest of 617 suspected cartel members, including 11 in Maine.
[RELATED: Largest Ever Meth Precursor Seizure Interdicts Shipment En-Route from China to the Sinaloa Cartel…]
“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,” said DEA Administrator Terrance Cole.
Between August 25-29, DEA agents in 23 divisions and seven foreign nations executed a series of operations against the cartel. The Trump Administration designated the Sinaloa Cartel and other gangs as foreign terrorist organizations in February.
“In February, the Trump Administration designated the Sinaloa Cartel, along with seven other groups, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. The Sinaloa Cartel remains one of the most significant threats to public safety, public health and our national security. DEA is committed to breaking their command, control, and distribution networks,” said the DEA in a press release.
In the four-day span, law enforcement arrested 617 suspected Sinaloa narcoterrorists and seized thousands of kilograms of narcotics, including 480 kg of fentanyl, 714,707 counterfeit pills, 2,209 kg of methamphetamines, 7,469 kg of cocaine, and 16.5 kg of heroin.
The DEA also seized $11,111,483 in cash, $1,697,313 worth of assets, and 420 firearms.
The operation extended into New England, where DEA agents arrested 171 alleged cartel members, including 64 in Connecticut, 49 in Massachusetts, 33 in New Hampshire, 11 in Maine, ten in Rhode Island, and three in Vermont.
The DEA reminded the public that these numbers only included arrests made in a five-day period and that the crackdown against the Sinaloa Cartel remains ongoing year-round.
The DEA crackdown comes as President Donald Trump has taken a historically hard-line approach to drug cartels and transnational gangs, designating them terrorist organizations and, beginning last Tuesday, taking military action against them.
On Tuesday, President Trump authorized a lethal military strike against a boat carrying 11 Tren de Aragua cartel members reportedly smuggling drugs into the U.S.
The administration has indicated that it could carry out further lethal actions against foreign narcoterrorists.
