The latest breaking news, delivered straight to your email! 21 charged in Cartel-linked drug distribution ring in Colorado - KMGH A new DEA map shows where cartels have influence in the US. Cartel According to their guilty pleas, they also sent. The DEA "assesses that the following six Mexican TCOs as having the greatest drug trafficking impact on the United States: Sinaloa Cartel, CJNG, BeltranLeyva Organization, Juarez Cartel, Gulf Cartel, and Los Zetas Cartel". This crime, which can defraud victims of their life savings, results in another significant revenue stream for the cartel and strengthens its overall criminal enterprise. Mexico cartels: Which are the biggest and most powerful? Its origins can be traced to the Guadalajara cartel, which was one of Mexico's largest crime organizations in the early 1980s. 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 cartel invests substantially to ensure that the right people are in key positions so as to further their objectives. Legal Statement. The rest of the funds were smuggled back in secret vehicle compartments. Even back before the break of the war, US gov was warning against going there. The gangs appear to be targeting stores, vehicles and bystanders in response to disputes or attempts to capture gang members. A video showed a Mexican cartel lining up. Copyright 2020 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. They also spoke about "almonds" and how Beltran-Beltran would not be paying Escamilla a courier fee because of a $5,000 debt. 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. In 2001, he spent $2.5 million in bribes to escape the maximum-security Puente Grande prison in Jalisco, Mexico, in a laundry cart. I'm scared! Authorities have seized more than $1.5 million from 15 bank accounts and two safety deposit boxes of the restaurants. In Mexico, cartels are hunting down police at their homes Surez was chased by two Army pickup trucks before he lost control of his own and crashed into parked vehicle. or redistributed. Mexican drug lord 'El Chapo' jailed at 'Supermax' prison in Colorado In addition to the 6.57 kilograms of cocaine packed for distribution, the indictment says officers also found $7,117 in the glovebox. Video shows Mexican cartel line up rivals for mass execution Replicating this kind of aggressive law enforcement take down is critical to breaking the backs of these criminal organizations.. Skier Shiffrin's quest for 86th win extended after downhill, Colorado mountain communities consider legal action against USPS, 77 inches of snow fall at Colorado ski area in 9 days, DEA seizes more than 110,000 fentanyl-laced pills, issues 19 indictments, All-time high overdose deaths in country Colorado deaths up 34%, DEA warns of increase in fake prescription pills containing fentanyl, meth, A mom lost her son to an overdose. The team collected roughly 800 pounds. 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. 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. 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. 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. All rights reserved. She joined the Gazette in 2016. All rights reserved. Trucks with mounted machine guns and henchman with body armour rolled into the town in one of the bloodiest recent episodes in the drug war blighting Mexico. Authorities believe a woman accessing the safe-deposit boxes faked pregnancies to make deposits, carrying the cash inside of a false belly.. Investigators also followed the vehicle driven by Peterson, watched him transfer the items into another truck, and pulled him over, the indictment says. The 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office said the following defendants will be prosecuted in Douglas County: RELATED: 2 Colorado nurses illegally took controlled substances at work, U.S. Attorney's Office says. The file also showed that the five victims tested positive for sodium rhodizonate, a sign they may have been carrying weapons and shot at the soldiers during the pursuit. Legal Statement. Antonio Ortiz asked Rivera-Beltran over a call if he had received the "chocolates," believed to be heroin, and asked for "two," believed to be two kilos, according to the indictment. More than 400 soldiers have now turned up the city after . The eight companies sanctioned on Thursday all claim to either be financial services or real estate firms and are either based in Puerta Vallarta or Guadalajara, according to the Treasury. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, According to the US Treasury, who coordinated with the Mexican government, the perpetrators of the fraud have at times falsely claimed to represent US government entities. We have no idea what the Mexican drug cartels do with all that RMB and how they smuggle all that cash out of China. In another call on Sep. 27, the indictment says Rodriguez told Rivera-Beltran that the money had been seized, and that Vargas was getting items out of Escamilla's house. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Cartel boss Carlos Enrique Sanchez, 'El Cholo', appeared in a video shortly before found dead in a Mexico park. In a traffic stop of one suspect in January, investigators seized about 1,000 fentanyl pills that were hidden in a vent inside the vehicle, according to the complaint. Later that night while Guadalupe Ortiz was at the airport, he spoke about concealing money in notebooks while going through security with Rivera-Beltran, according to the indictment. The US government has described the Sinaloa Cartel as one of the largest drug-trafficking organisations in the world. Its only been a week, so we still have to sit back and see how this will play out, Denver Police spokesman Sonny Jackson told FoxNews.com. Todays action exposes this CJNG scheme and also serves as a warning to potential victims, many of whom are elderly, she added. The Sinaloa cartel is the oldest cartel. Los Zetas Cartel is also the only Mexican cartel that uses Laredo as a major hub. Also on Sept. 18, the indictment says, Beltran-Beltran called Rivera-Beltran about Escamilla bringing $100,000 or $105,000 to Phoenix, which was later seized by authorities. 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. NOBODY AND I MEAN NOBODY IN BOULDER WANTS THAT SHIT WEED FROM MEXICO!!! You can get killed for just walking around the east side. Fountain woman to get no jail time for sexually assaulting 13-year-old, mother unhappy with plea deal. However, after the cartel was involved in the 1985 torture and murder of a U.S. drug . The Colorado Springs restaurants, meanwhile, all remain open. A Mexican cartel enforcer says Ciudad Juarez is headed for another war >>. It has popped around the world, from Hong Kong to Australia and Argentina to Europe. Zambada now is assumed to head the Sinoloa Cartel. The restaurants would buy food from El Potosino and accept invoices for items they did not order or receive so checks could be cut to the company and Aguilar-Martinez, 48, who is in the U.S. illegally, the complaint said. 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. Mexican drug cartels are leading suppliers of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and other illicit narcotics to the United States. Then I wonder where shipment after shipment, literally TONS of that weed from Mexico is going? We try to spoil when we should understand we haven't spoiled so much, because they know we are working hard for them. 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. Thursdays sanctions were accompanied by an alert issued by the Office of Foreign Assets Control in order to make the public aware of telephone, email, and letter scams involving individuals falsely claiming to represent OFAC and requesting payments. OFAC does not collect this type of payment from the public. COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - A Sierra High School student was shot off-campus on Tuesday. You can go to Tijuana, you can usually kind of fly under the radar for a while in Juarez, but Nuevo Laredo, come on. On June 10, undercover officers bought two ounces of heroin and 500 fentanyl pills during their first meeting in the parking lot of the Target at 7930 Northfield Boulevard in Denver, the indictment says. 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. San Diego's largest cash seizure ever may shed light on an overlooked aspect of the drug trade >>, In many instances, the Sinaloa cartel and other Mexican cartels partner with street gangs in the US particularly the MS-13 to sell the drugs to consumers. 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. Drug cartel | Britannica Boulder isn't where the cartels are supplying anyway idiots. By Adry Torres For Dailymail.com The violent and powerful Sinaloa cartel forced the Mexican authorities to surrender and hand over El Chapo's son Ovidio Guzman. kaitlin.durbin@gazette.com, Colorado Springs restaurants appear to be implicated in alleged drug money laundering scheme, expected to be sent to Colorados maximum-security prison in Florence, 16-year-old Nathaniel Czajkowski was shot to death in Albertacos, Feds: El Chapo's sons indicted on drug conspiracy charges, Survey: Coloradans happy with State Patrol, but not traffic safety, Two teens accused of using cocaine at Colorado Springs high school, Alex Murdaugh trial: Autopsy photos shown, and witnesses paint graphic picture as trial continues, Stimulus update: Direct payment worth up to $400 to be available for Massachusetts residents in 12 days, New downtown Colorado Springs transit center plans updated, councilman calls it a 'boondoggle'. Guzmn is a known escape artist as well. Chinese nationals aren't allowed to transfer their wealth outside of China, so they are willing to pay Mexican drug cartels a premium for the cartels' US dollar cash holdings in exchange for RMB payments in China. 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. Heroin is where their making money. Sign up for the 9NEWSLETTERright now to get cant-miss stories, Next and Broncos content, weather and more delivered right to your inbox. Sinaloa Cartel is one of the oldest and most successful drug cartels in Mexico. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider Around 6:43 p.m., agents watching the carport saw Tarango-Rodriguez arrive, and Trevizo got on the phone, according to the indictment. Based on calls and surveillance, the investigators said, it was clear a drug transaction took place for more than seven grams of meth. Boogie! Inside the vehicle, the indictment says, investigators found 5,636.88 grams of cocaine also packaged as bricks with the word "CHANEL" stamped on them. 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. Drug gangs unleash violence in northern Mexican cities : NPR Rivera-Beltran responded they would ask "Canelo" (later identified as Cesar Antonio Ortiz) for 100 more "buttons," according to the indictment. El Mencho's Mexican cartel CJNG supplied drugs to Portland, Oregon The defendants are alleged to have brought large quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine into the United States through California using secret compartments in vehicles. [The sniper rifles flowing to Mexican. Can we get the government now to give the Pentagon another trillion trillion $$$$$$$$$$$$????? ", RELATED: A mom lost her son to an overdose. Mexican army soldiers display $15 million U.S. on November 22, 2011, in Mexico City. A third victim, Alejandro Trujillo, died from being shot five times. The organization also predicted. 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. You can review our Community Guidelines by clicking here. The owner of the Colorado Springs dispensary told the Denver Post he is planning to get a concealed-weapons permit, for protection when he has to move money out of the store. Claims of jury misconduct arose after a juror told VICE News in February 2019 report that several jurors followed media accounts of the three month-long trial. Here are our rankings using DEA's data: Los Zetas Cartel is the only Mexican cartel that uses New Orleans as a major hub. Mexican cartel murders bride at altar during her own wedding, kidnaps From Mexican cartel labs to U.S. streets, a deadly fentanyl pipeline Contact the writer at 719-636-0362 or find her on Twitter: @njKaitlinDurbin. Mexican cartel assassin cuts out and eats heart of rival gang member in Mexico Drug War Fast Facts | CNN The footage of the massacre was released Wednesday and is part of the increasing violence in the southern Mexican state of Geurrero, reports said. 13 US Cities That Are Crowded By Mexican Drug Cartels - Yahoo! On the eve of the Super Bowlwhere the Mexican avocado producers again ran their ad as they have for the past decade . Biden administration sanctions what it says is a timeshare fraud "In recent years, the Gulf cartel has weakened due to the arrest of key leaders in Mexico and intra-cartel conflict, which has led to a decline in its drug trafficking influence in the United States.". Tarango-Rodriguez went into the address and returned with two trash bags, which the indictment said were given to occupants of Trevizo's vehicle. Agents discovered several calls between Padilla-Romo and Tarango-Rodriguez where they spoke about prices for pounds of "work," which investigators believed to be meth, according to the indictment. Well cartels and Mexican maryjuana did take a hit in Colorado. This is probably not the last time you hear about CJNG as it is more willing to engage in violent confrontations with rival cartels and security forces. Comments are moderated, refer to policy for more information.Enva fotos, vdeos, notas, enlaces o informacin Todo 100% Annimo;borderlandbeat@gmail.com. U.S. Legalization of Marijuana Has Hit Mexican Cartels' Border Trade - Time 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. In tourist destinations such as Puerto Vallarta, CJNG has become heavily engaged in timeshare fraud, which often targets U.S. citizens. 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. "And that's extremely scary.". 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. 9Wants to Know examined a situation report from the US Department of Justice National Drug Intelligence Center, which says the Juarez and Sinaloa cartels are active in five Colorado cities. The Defendants from Mexico are: Jose Tapia-Rubio, 58, (naturalized); Selestino Hernandez-Mayo, 45; Fredy Paz-Herrera, age unknown; Bancholas, age unknown, (thought to be from Mexico); Rodrigo Mora-Sanchez, 49, (naturalized); Oscar Mora-Campos, age unknown; Eduardo Jimenez-Sanchez, 37; Changuito, age unknown, (thought to be from Mexico); Um-9584, age unknown, (thought to be from Mexico); Leopoldo Rodriguez-Padilla, Age Unknown; And Heberto Mora-Sanchez, 43. 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. There was a problem saving your notification. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. 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. "Mexico is already in Colorado without the risks," the agent, who requested anonymity, said of the state's heavy pre-existing cartel presence. Australia's biggest ever drug bust as WA police - dailymail.co.uk Photos shared by Mata's friends on social media showed him holding a rifle and wearing a black vest with the Cartel del Noreste's (Northeast Cartel) initials, 'CDN,' across the chest and ammunition hanging from it. One veteran border narcotics agent told FoxNews.com Colorado's legal pot industry will find it hard to keep the criminals from horning in on a lucrative business they once controlled. A cellphone of Jose Aguilar-Martinez, who purported to own the unregistered wholesale distributor El Potosino Foods, had significant contact with suspected cocaine distributors in the city and in Pueblo and was linked to Guzmns and Zambadas trafficking, the complaint says. The notoriously violent Jalisco cartel has responded to Mexico's "hugs, not bullets" policy with a policy of their own: the cartel kidnapped in mid-May 2021, several members of an elite police force in the state of Guanajuato, tortured them to obtain names and addresses . Rivera-Beltran said he had guns and "almonds," believed to be fentanyl pills, at the house. 'Add Pueblo Colorado to the list. The Sinaloa Cartel, a Mexican drug gang with one of the largest U.S. footprints - including just about everything east of the Mississippi -- of all the cartels. 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. In August, the indictment says, agents began wiretaps on the phone number that belonged to Rivera-Beltran. In another call, the indictment says Tranago-Rodriguez discussed prices for a half-pound of meth with Padilla-Romo. 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. Colorado pot shops likely targets of cartels, say experts You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Sierra High School student shot during alleged drug deal off-campus - KKTV Treasury sanctions eight Mexican companies accused of involvement with I keep reading how "nobody" wants that Mexican "shit weed"? Four soldiers were placed under arrest Thursday for the murder of the five men. However, the indictment says, Tarango-Rodriguez began speaking to Rivera-Beltran a day later to ask if he had "buttons," which investigators believe meant fentanyl pills. Colorado restaurants tied to Mexican drug lord 'El Chapo,' court Is comparing Colorado Springs' and Denver's homeless populations fair or unfair? LOL, the Zetas were saying don't bother kidnapping those two, they are so stupid their families wouldn't want them back. A seventh restaurant with ties to Colorado Springs also was named in the complaint. A wiretap order was signed for Padilla-Romo's phone number in May, and agents learned that he was negotiating drug deals with multiple individuals including Luis "Chilo" Jacob Zytacua, who the indictment says also negotiated the purchase of guns. DEA Maps of Mexican Cartels in the US - Business Insider Investigators believed the group was connected to a Mexican cartel, a criminal complaint said. I want to congratulate the outstanding federal, state, and local law enforcement cooperation that resulted in this highly successful operation.