As two factions of the Sinaloa Cartel battle it out in Sinaloa state, recent drug busts in the U.S. state of California show the strong presence of the Sinaloa Cartel in the U.S. state of California.
From a November 11th article on Newsweek: “Authorities have launched a major crackdown on the Sinaloa Cartel, seizing millions of dollars worth of methamphetamine in a series of coordinated raids. Forty-eight suspected members of a Sinaloa Cartel-linked drug-trafficking network have been charged with distributing meth, fentanyl, heroin and cocaine in a joint operation led by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California said in a statement.”
But which faction of the Sinaloa Cartel are we talking about here?
“The individuals were allegedly part of a drug-trafficking organization operating out of the Imperial Valley and Mexicali, Mexico, with connections to ‘Los Rusos,’ the primary armed faction of the Sinaloa Cartel loyal to Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada, according to court records.“
It was a big operation.
“The DOJ reported that over 140 federal, state and local law enforcement officers arrested 25 suspects and carried out 15 search warrants across various locations, including Imperial County in California, Yuma in Arizona and Las Vegas in Nevada. Authorities said that 23 additional suspects connected to the case are still at large.“
Charges in the indictments include drug trafficking, conspiracy and bulk cash smuggling. The investigation uncovered more than 8,000 pounds of methamphetamine, along with substantial amounts of fentanyl, cocaine, heroin and a firearm.
Once again, these guys are known as “Los Rusos”. They are on El Mayo’s side.
“The faction of the Sinaloa Cartel charged in this indictment is known as Los Rusos, loyal to the notorious drug lord El Mayo, who is currently detained in New York. Jesús Alexander Sánchez Félix serves as the leader of the Los Rusos, which controls drug smuggling routes in Baja California. El Mayo’s loyalists have been engaged in a bloody and violent cartel war against ‘Los Chapitos,’ the sons of Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán.“
Later, a November 15th CBS article reports activity farther north in California:
“For more than a year, authorities say they’ve been investigating Sinaloa Cartel members in California’s Central Valley. On Friday [November 15], they announced that 13 people were arrested and took ‘a major step in disrupting cartel operations in California.’ The investigation started back in April 2023, saying they were investigating members of the Sinaloa Cartel who were responsible for large-scale methamphetamine, fentanyl, and firearms trafficking in the Central Valley and other areas. More than a year later, the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office announced a ‘major drug and weapons’ bust.”
“Over a week and a half, starting Nov. 4, authorities served 19 federal search warrants across San Joaquin, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, Stanislaus and Merced counties. This operation led to 13 arrests on state and federal charges, the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office said.”
They got quite a haul from these operations:
“Deputies also say 110 pounds of crystal methamphetamine, 120,000 fentanyl pills, two kilograms of cocaine, a quarter pound of heroin, about $4 million in THC products and roughly $450,000 were seized. They also seized 141 guns, including machine gun conversions, ARs, pistols, rifles, .50 caliper weapons, high-capacity magazines and a suppressor, according to the sheriff’s office. The search also led to the dismantling machine gun manufacturing lab and a methamphetamine conversion lab. The Stockton Police Department, Tracy Police Department, DEA, HSI and ATF assisted in the investigation.”
See photo at the top of the article.
And consider this, how many more such operations are still out there?