Kaitlin is a public safety reporter with a focus on investigations. Authorities claimed that Surez was operating a Chevrolet Silverado that had been reported stolen. Behind the nicknames of notorious Mexican drug cartel figures In Texas, the many offices appear to have their time spent dealing with cases involving the Sinaloa, Gulf, Juarez, the Knights Templar . Executions, not just of petty dealers but of prominent business executives, livestock farmers and peasant leaders. The car was eventually picked up by Rivera-Beltran after an unsuccessful attempt by Guadalupe Ortiz, and they both drove to Dallas, Texas, arriving on Sept. 18, the indictment says. it goes to MN,IA,MI,WI states like that. Texas' most dangerous gangs are Tango Blast and associated Tango cliques, with an estimated 19,000 members, Texas Mexican Mafia, with about 4,100 members, Latin Kings, with 1,300 members, and Mara . Jeff Dorschner, Spokesman for the Colorado U.S. Attorneys Office, told Breitbart Texas, During the course of this investigation law enforcement determined that a Mexican Cartel was involved. right now to get cant-miss stories, Next and Broncos content, weather and more delivered right to your inbox. The Defendants from El Salvador are Lara Zamora-Cruz, age unknown; Claudia Lisseth-Lara, 41, (naturalized); Vilma L. Zamora, 67; and Jose Chica-Orellana, age unknown. Los Zetas Cartel is the least influential of the 6 Mexican cartels, but this doesn't mean that its members aren't dangerous people. There are reasons to doubt the cohesion of the Sinaloa cartel, especially in light of the protracted incarceration of its nominal leader, Joaqun "El Chapo" Guzmn, and recent reports of infighting between factions of the group in Sinaloa state, its heartland. Todays action exposes this CJNG scheme and also serves as a warning to potential victims, many of whom are elderly, she added. This is a very significant operation that took a massive amount of drugs and a large number of drug traffickers off our streets, United States Attorney Jason R. Dunn said in a statement. The Colorado Springs restaurants, meanwhile, all remain open. we are going to pay the farmers, again, $100. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Click to see the list of top 5 cities that are crowded by Mexican drug cartels. RELATED:. In another call, the indictment says Tranago-Rodriguez discussed prices for a half-pound of meth with Padilla-Romo. "And that's extremely scary.". He notified her Saturday evening that his girlfriend was expecting the couple's first child and shared the positive pregnancy test via a text message. You can get killed for just walking around the east side. The Biden administration has sanctioned eight Mexican companies it says are involved in a timeshare fraud scheme benefiting the Jalisco cartel, a notorious drug organization that the US government says traffics a significant proportion of the illegal fentanyl and other drugs that enter the US. "Much like the Sinaloa Cartel, CJNG is a poly-drug trafficking organization dealing in wholesale amounts of primarily methamphetamine, but also cocaine, heroin, and marijuana," the DEA notes, adding, "CJNG has drug distribution hubs in the US cities of Los Angeles and Atlanta.". A K9 alerted to the car, and a search warrant was excited that led to the discovery of 30,000 suspect fentanyl pills weighing around 3,433 grams hidden behind the taillight, according to the indictment. Nuevo Laredo is the worst of all the border cities for kidnapping US citizens. He later bragged to movie star Sean Penn: I supply more heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana than anybody else in the world. That same day, agents confirmed the car was in the woman's address in Phoenix, Arizona, according to the indictment. (File, courtesy of KKTV). Los Zetas Cartel is also the only Mexican cartel that uses Laredo as a major hub. Contests & Promotions, 2023, Pikes Peak Television, Inc. Colorado Springs, CO, USA, Special Forces soldier who never quit to receive Medal of Honor nearly 60 years after grueling firefight, DOJ ramps up its allegations that Texas is judge-shopping in cases against Biden, Germanys Olaf Scholz to meet Biden on Friday after transformative year, Woman pleads guilty to threatening Michigan 2020 election official. Investigators said Rivera-Beltran's comments proved he knew about the drugs at the stash house (some of which were discovered in the locations he mentioned), as well as his participation in the drug conspiracy and clean-up efforts, according to the indictment. At least one of the five young men killed by the Mexican military had alleged links to Cartel del Noreste, which operates in the northern border city of Nuevo Laredo across from Texas. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Juarez Cartel is the only Mexican cartel that uses Oklahoma City as a major hub. Market data provided by Factset. Antonio Ortiz said Rodriguez needed to make up for money that was previously seized by law enforcement, the discussed losing trust in Escamilla, discussed "almonds (believed to be fentanyl pills), and Rivera ended the call by saying he would bring up four more boxes of pills and to kilos of heroin, according to the indictment. A 2020 report prepared by the Congressional Research Service says the cartel originated in western. In the US, the Sinaloa cartel is one of six Mexican transnational criminal organizations in operation, joining the Jalisco New Generation cartel, the Juarez cartel, the Gulf cartel, Los Zetas cartel, and the Beltran Leyva Organization. According to their guilty pleas, they also sent. According to the indictment, the investigation began in April, when DEA agents learned that Samuel Padilla-Romo was selling methamphetamine in the 18th Judicial District and Denver metro area. Copyright 2020 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Gulf Cartel is the only Mexican cartel that uses Detroit as a major hub. February 15, 2023 04:32 PM AUSTIN, Texas A county sheriff plans to sound the alarm before Congress about mass incursions of unidentified flying objects illegally entering U.S. airspace from. The arrests and indictments of the 17 defendants were the result of a year-long investigation into a Mexican drug cartel operation that smuggled narcotics into the United States from California to Colorado, according to a statement from the Department of Justice. Twenty-five people have been arrested on drug trafficking charges in the case and five others remain at-large, including four in Mexico. Severe Weather There are sooo many opiate addicts in colorado from high school to your grandma its crazy. The informant continued to negotiate prices for more meth with Padilla-Romo throughout June, and the indictment says Romo mentioned he was going to get more from Jesus Tarango-Rodriguez. More information about the case was not available on Wednesday, as some of the court documents remained sealed. Investigators discovered through calls that Escamilla was picking up a truck from a rental car agency on Sep. 27 and set up surveillance at the location, according to the indictment. The Sinaloa Cartel's criminal activity in the Ciudad Juarez and El Paso area included the violence that occurred during the war between the Juarez Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel, which led to the death of thousands of people in Ciudad Juarez and throughout the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Durango. DEA special agent Robert Murphy said the SRT recently took down a dangerous Mexican cartel's methamphetamine conversion lab at a house in Gwinnett County. Legal Statement. The Sinaloa Cartel Is Controlling Water in Drought-Stricken Mexico "Water is now a valuable asset for us, and as it becomes more scarce, the more we will fight to make sure we have enough," a. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. Happy Halloween, Borderland Beat. On Oct. 28, the indictment says Rivera-Beltran asked a woman of she had anyone who could drive a stick shift, and that he had "50" in the car, which agents believed to be 50,000 fentanyl pills. I can buy a pound in texas for 300 to 400 and bring it to MN and sell for 1000-1500 and thats where all the shit brick trees go, Mexican drug cartels are getting into the game of hydroponics. Did you read it? A lot of "somebody's" are buying this stuff cause the shipments keep coming and the dollars keep going to the cartels? The extortion of 80 small-town mayors. Guzmn, widely known as El Chapo, was considered the worlds most powerful drug lord until his federal conviction this month on 10 counts of drug trafficking, money laundering and use of a firearm in decades of grisly killings to further his drug enterprise. Is comparing Colorado Springs' and Denver's homeless populations fair or unfair? Escamilla called Beltran-Beltran later that night, who told Escamilla he needed to pick up 24,000 pills that were moved out of the house after the traffic stop, according to the indictment. Rivera-Beltran said in a later call, he would give Guadalupe Ortiz money for every trip and a weekly salary, and that Guadalupe Ortiz would be doing trips that Sarabia-Mancicnas had done in the past, according to the indictment. Mexican drug cartels are leading suppliers of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and other illicit narcotics to the United States. Zambada now is assumed to head the Sinoloa Cartel. The bullet-hole riddled roof of a church, the site of a bloody cartel battle in El Limoncito. Were a police department, were always concerns about what may happen.. (YouTube) Mexican authorities believe a body found wrapped in plastic and left . The Marijuana Enforcement Division of the Colorado Department of Revenue, the primary enforcement office responsible for overseeing the production and sale of the retail marijuana, did not return repeated attempts by Fox News.com for comment. The ascendant Jalisco New Generation cartel, formed from an offshoot of the Sinaloa cartel around 2010, has also made inroads in the US. Mexican army soldiers display $15 million U.S. on November 22, 2011, in Mexico City. A wiretap order was also signed for Zytacua's phone number, the indictment says. They Bombs Away, Mexico, Yemen, and Somalia! According to the DEA, these six Mexican drug cartels generate tens of billions of dollars every year and employ a multitude of financial transactions and arrangements to launder and smuggle their earnings into Mexico. As the smoke settles from the first week of legal marijuana sales in Colorado, experts are warning that sanctioned pot dealers could become targets for the very folks they put out of business. Specifically, the indictment says Zytacua had calls with users about the cost of 30 milligram pills, which agents believed to be fake fentanyl pills masked as M30 oxycodone pills. Contact the writer at 719-636-0362 or find her on Twitter: @njKaitlinDurbin. Defendants have denied involvement in the scheme. However, after the cartel was involved in the 1985 torture and murder of a U.S. drug . A Colorado Springs food distribution company and at least six local Mexican restaurants are linked to the Sinoloa Cartel and drug lordsJoaqun El Chapo Guzmn-Lorea and Ismael El Mayo Zambada-Garcia, says a recently released federal complaint providing the first evidence of cartels operating in Colorado Springs. RELATED: DEA warns of increase in fake prescription pills containing fentanyl, meth. You can review our Community Guidelines by clicking here. Last week, the US government also took action against a network of Sinaloa Cartel members and associated entities for their involvement in providing chemicals to super labs that produce illicit drugs like fentanyl and methamphetamine for the cartel once run by the notorious drug lord Joaquin El Chapo Guzmn. After a K9 alerted the presence of narcotics in the trunk, the indictment says, authorities discovered a $5,000 stack from her purse, and she gave them Ortiz's phone number, which stopped working shortly after. A meeting was set for May 1, when, the indictment says, the informant met with Padilla-Romo in the parking lot of the Safeway at 201 E. Jefferson Ave. in Englewood, and exchanged $1,600 for 210.1 grams of meth. Their families would laugh and say keep them. Analysts are still trying to work out the long-term effect this shift will have on Mexican cartel finances and violence. They clearly don't care about violating the employment discrimination laws. Gulf Cartel is the 5th most influential Mexican drug cartel in the U.S.. Gulf Cartel is also the only Mexican cartel that uses Houston as a major hub. Mexican drug cartels control vast swaths of the US drug market, but that influence remains heavily slanted in favor of the vaunted Sinaloa cartel. Documents filed Wednesday . Victor Alvarez Farfan, a native of Michoacn, Mexico, headed the Portland drug ring blamed for bringing large amounts of meth, heroin and fentanyl across the border beginning in October 2017. Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) is the youngest of the top 6 Mexican drug cartels. The coalition's members operate in concert to protect themselves, relying on connections at the highest levels and corrupting portions of the federal police . Despite its name, the Mexican Mafia did not originate in Mexico, and is entirely a U.S. criminal prison organization.Law enforcement officials report that the Mexican Mafia is the deadliest and most powerful gang within the California prison . "The Sinaloa Cartel exports and distributes wholesale amounts of methamphetamine, marijuana, cocaine, and heroin in the United States by maintaining key distribution hubs in Phoenix, Los Angeles, Denver, and Chicago, among other cities," the DEA reports. The U.S. has suspended imports of Mexican avocadosas the lucrative fruit continues to play a key role in the turf wars between drug cartels. On Aug. 17, agents intercepted a call between Rivera-Beltran and Miguel Diarte, and the indictment says they learned Diarte was transporting a large load of narcotics from Los Angeles to Aurora. The six restaurants and El Potosino which means the one from San Luis Potosi, Mexico, an area associated with drug cartels are accused in a drug-money laundering scheme in the sealed federal complaint filed in November. Synthetic drugs such as meth and fentanyl have fundamentally changed the illicit drug market. If you would like to share a story idea, please submit it here. In 2012 the Mexican Competitiveness Institute issued a report saying that Mexico's cartels would lose as much as $1.425 billion if Colorado legalized marijuana. The indictment says Escamilla called Antonio Ortiz and told him "everything went to hell and that the police got them." A short time later, the indictment says Austin Peterson and Anita Bateman arrived in a vehicle used to transport cocaine to Denver. The indictment says Tarango-Rodriguez also told Rivera-Beltran that it would be done very quickly, which agents believed to be in reference to the drug deal. Sinaloa Cartel is one of the oldest and most successful drug cartels in Mexico. "This was an industry here that created a lot of challenges," Daniels told WDVR television news in Denver Jan. 7. He revealed that the soldiers forced him into making a video statement in which he claimed the group was responsible for the incident in exchange for sparing his life. The vehicles driven by Trevizo and Peterson pulled into the carport. The car was stopped by state troopers. NOBODY IN THE SURROUNDING DENVER AREA WANTS THAT SHIT NEITHER!!! It is understood that the mutilated corpse in the video belongs to a gunman working for the Sinaloa Cartel, whose former leader, Joaqun Archivaldo Guzmn Loera, otherwise known . The Jalisco New Generation cartel, which reportedly provided security for the Sinaloa cartel before splintering off, is considered by the Drug Enforcement Agency to be a top US threat and the best-armed criminal group in Mexico, according to a report from the Congressional Research Service. The money was seized from alleged members of the Guzman Loera drug cartel . The ban on Mexican avocados has been lifted, but an economist and a student at the Miami Herbert Business School both say that cartels are the real threat to this popular green fruit in the United States. No arrests have been made, but a cashier told The Gazette that all employees in the restaurant that night then returned to Mexico. After multiple messages were exchanged, the indictment says, surveillance captured them meeting at a gas station, hugging and Zytacua getting in and out of her car. The same drug cartels causing chaos on the U.S./Mexico border are also active in Colorado. We ranked each city by the number of different Mexican cartels that use as a distribution hub. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Also in June, Tarango-Rodriguez continued to make calls on a third phone number that was being monitored by agents, and the indictment says he told a user he was going to sell 500,000 "small blue ones," which investigators believed to be 30-milligram fentanyl pills, in Kansas. The legalization of marijuana may have attracted a lot of cartel activity to the state because cartels can grow and sell marijuana there more securely. In 2017, 16-year-old Nathaniel Czajkowski was shot to death in Albertacos while eating with three friends, two of whom also were shot. Inside Matt Hancock's 41-hour battle to save his career when photo of 'a snog and heavy petting' Will Vladimir Putin's empress pay the ultimate price for his war on the West? Jalisco New Generation Cartel is the only Mexican cartel that uses New York City as a major hub. It is also the most significant drug trafficking organization in the United States. DENVER Details of an eight-month investigation into a Colorado-based drug trafficking organization with links to a Mexican cartel have been released in a grand jury indictment. Marshals Service The Flores brothers admitted to smuggling at least 1,500 kgs of cocaine for the Sinaloa cartel into the US every month between 2005 and 2008. "CJNG's rapid territorial expansion is characterized by the organization's willingness to engage in violent confrontations with Mexican Government security forces and rival cartels," as in a 2015 incident in which CJNG gunmen downed a Mexican military helicopter, as well as more recent cases of grisly displays left behind in Tijuana. In addition to the 6.57 kilograms of cocaine packed for distribution, the indictment says officers also found $7,117 in the glovebox. Gustavo Prez died after he was shot two times on the side and on the right forearm. Rivera-Beltran then called Antonio Ortiz and old him "s*** went to hell," and that they needed to save what they could because there was a lot of "work," believed to be drugs, at the house, according to the indictment. Beltran-Leyva Organization (BLO) is the third most significant Mexican drug cartel in the United States, followed by Juarez Cartel, Gulf Cartel, and Los Zetas Cartel. The Flores brothers admitted to smuggling at least 1,500 kilograms of cocaine for the Sinaloa cartel into the US every month between 2005 and 2008. A Mexican intelligence report alleges that he was linked to the Northeast Cartel's special forces 35th battalion, Alejandro Trujillo was one of five men who were shot dead by soldiers in Nuevo Laredo, Mexican. The Mexican Mafia (Spanish: Mafia Mexicana), also known as La eMe (Spanish for "the M"), is a Mexican American criminal organization in the United States. Surez, who hours before the incident had learned he was going to be a father for the first time, was shot 12 times and died. KRDO NewsChannel 13 is committed to providing a forum for civil and constructive conversation. Jonathan Aguilar did not survive after he was struck in the temple. Mexico's Agriculture Ministry said U.S. health . Sinaloa cartel, international crime organization that is among the most-powerful drug-trafficking syndicates in the world. Seeing a growing market, Ted Daniels started the company and uses ex-military and law enforcement to provide security for the stores' money and supply shipments, and the growing operations. The WORST care homes in England: Interactive map reveals the lowest-rated 2,530 residences - so is An intelligence report obtained by TV Azteca indicated that Wilberto Mata, one of the five young men killed by soldier in the northern border city of Nuevo Laredo, was an alleged member of the Cartel del Noreste ( Northeast Cartel), Gustavo Surez, an American from San Antonio, Texas, was a purported member of the Northeast Cartel, according to a Mexican intelligence report. Rivera-Beltran specifically mentioned that a load of drugs agents believed to be cocaine that was arriving the first week of September, lamented that one of his loads had been taken, and offered the informant "1,000 almonds" which investigators believed to be fentanyl pills, according to the indictment. The Portland-based drug network, which stretched into affluent area suburbs, westbound to Oregon's quaint coastal cities and north into southwestern Washington, is emblematic of a key Mexican. Taking over a trade once ruled by drug cartels and turning it into an all-cash business could make pot shops prime targets for extortion, black-market competition and robbery. Mexican cities have seen widespread arson and shootings by drug cartels. In June 1993, Guzman-Loera was arrested in Chiapas, Mexico and sentenced to a 20-year prison term. The US government has described the Sinaloa Cartel as one of the largest drug-trafficking organisations in the world. Vallejo-Gallo, a Mexican national, faces 20 years to life in prison. Drug cartels are extremely well-organized, well-financed, efficient, and ruthless. He . Prez's brother, Alejandro Prez, was unharmed and told Univision that he saw the moment his sibling was shot at point-blank range. The attacks are in response to the arrest of El Chapo's son Ovidio Credit: AP. Agents followed the truck onto I-70 and stopped it outside of Glenwood Springs, according to the indictment. We try to spoil when we should understand we haven't spoiled so much, because they know we are working hard for them. Troopers located the box and found about 728.8 grams of heroin, about 2.32 kilos of several pre-packaged blue 30-milligram fentanyl pills and about 32.3 grams of meth seized from Ernestina Montoya, a passenger in the car, according to the indictment. Denver DEA office spokesman Albert Villasuso said with some 50 retail outlets in operation, the agency can only monitor if, how and when the cartels decide to move in to the legalized retail industry in Colorado. Around 6:43 p.m., agents watching the carport saw Tarango-Rodriguez arrive, and Trevizo got on the phone, according to the indictment. "What is quite possible is that cartels will hire straw owners who have clean records who can apply for a license, then sell large quantities both legally and on the black market," Villasuso said. Around 6:36 p.m. that evening, Tarango-Rodriguez called Rivera-Beltran and asked if he could use a truck inside Rivera-Beltran's carport for five minutes, according to the indictment. The DEA said the organization was led by Saul Ramon Rivera-Beltran, 30, of Thornton, who would order drugs and have couriers pick them up. DENVER Details of an eight-month investigation into a Colorado-based drug trafficking organization with links to a Mexican cartel have been released in a grand jury indictment. Extortion has proven to be a lucrative ancillary enterprise for cartels in Mexico resulting in thousands of businesses closing rather than pay the quota, as it is called, or the store owners face the threat of death, which too has occurred. In 2012 the Mexican Competitiveness Institute issued a report saying that Mexicos cartels would lose as much as $1.425 billion if Colorado legalized marijuana. We are committed to dismantling and removing the threat posed by these criminal organizations flooding American communities with dangerous narcotics, said Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Crime scene photo at Taco Star. I want to congratulate the outstanding federal, state, and local law enforcement cooperation that resulted in this highly successful operation. Heroin is where their making money. NOBODY AND I MEAN NOBODY IN BOULDER WANTS THAT SHIT WEED FROM MEXICO!!! The DEA said 21 suspects were identified during the investigation into the organization linked to the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico. Boulder isn't where the cartels are supplying anyway idiots. Here are our rankings using DEA's data: Los Zetas Cartel is the only Mexican cartel that uses New Orleans as a major hub. Rivera Beltran said he would pay $500 to the person and get him a plane ticket, the indictment says. Rivera-Beltran responded they would ask "Canelo" (later identified as Cesar Antonio Ortiz) for 100 more "buttons," according to the indictment. She is a proud Ohioan, champion for local libraries, volunteer reading tutor and an expert ice cream connoisseur (mint chocolate chip!). Morning Forecast Escamilla gave a trooper permission to search the truck and said there was only money in there, the indictment says. His Sinaloa Cartel is one of the worlds most prolific, violent and powerful drug cartels, moving billions upon billions of dollars in marijuana, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine, the U.S. Justice Department reports. On Oct. 30, the indictment says GPS showed Rodriguez's phone was traveling north on I-25, and around 1040 p.m., he was stopped in the car with Nancy Vargas by Douglas County Sheriff's Office deputies. The CJNG is believed to be engaging multiple rival organizations, the Sinaloa cartel in particular, in violent turf wars in several areas on Mexico's west coast. According to the DEA's assessment, however, the amount of US territory controlled by Mexican cartels has shifted slightly from 2015 to 2016. I'm scared! Four soldiers were placed under arrest Thursday for the murder of the five men. RELATED: DEA seizes more than 110,000 fentanyl-laced pills, issues 19 indictments. These cartels primarily employ Mexican nationals to oversee their distribution operations in the United States. In 2001, he spent $2.5 million in bribes to escape the maximum-security Puente Grande prison in Jalisco, Mexico, in a laundry cart. The Sinaloa Cartel, often described as the largest and most powerful drug trafficking organization in the Western Hemisphere, is an alliance of some of Mexico's top capos. Flores was identified as Ortiz's girlfriend and told troopers she had driven from Phoenix to Denver to see her boyfriend. Rivera-Beltran then said that some of the money was his and told Beltran-Beltran to get a new phone number, the indictment says. A Mexican cartel assassin butchered one of his rivals, cut his heart out and took bites from it in harrowing footage posted online as a warning to other gang members. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Mexican drug cartels control vast swaths of the US drug market, but that influence remains heavily slanted in favor of the vaunted Sinaloa cartel. Its origins can be traced to the Guadalajara cartel, which was one of Mexico's largest crime organizations in the early 1980s. In addition, two related defendants were identified and arrested after the indictment, the district attorney's office said. COVELO, Calif. Mexican drug cartels are muscling in on America's burgeoning multi-billion-dollar marijuana industry, illegally growing large crops in the hills and valleys of Northern California. A similar incident occurred on 5 November when a group of cartel gunmen executed a pair of drug dealers from a rival gang on a beach at Puerto Morelos, another popular beach area south of Cancun. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The organization also predicted. During a two-year investigation spanning several states, federal agents and the Evansville-Vanderburgh County Joint Task Force recovered more than 123 pounds of methamphetamine, 500 oxycodone. The-CNN-Wire & 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Trevizo and Tarango-Rodriguez then drove separately to a residence at 6841 Locust St. 'Yes, the Boulder area could be a giant cash cow for the Department of Homeland Security Cartel! Mexican drug cartels also convert wealthy Chinese nationals' Renminbi (RMB) to US dollars at a lower rate than the prevailing market rate. "We still don't know what the fall out will be but when there is this much money involved the potential is great for groups to want capitalize.". Discovery Company. In addition to more than 110,000 fentanyl-laced counterfeit pills, the DEA said it seized numerous other drugs and weapons.