Federal authorities arrested more than 170 suspected members of the Mexico-based Sinaloa cartel in New England last month, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced.
According to Boston.com, the DEA arrested 617 suspects nationwide between Aug. 25 and Aug. 29. Agents seized $11 million in cash, $1.6 million in assets, 420 firearms, and large quantities of fentanyl, counterfeit pills, cocaine, and heroin.
In New England alone, authorities recovered nearly 245 kilograms of drugs, $1.3 million in cash, and 33 firearms.
Wider Crackdown
The arrests came amid a broader federal crackdown on cartel activity. The Trump administration in February formally designated eight Latin American crime organizations as “foreign terrorist organizations.”
Six Mexico-based cartels received the designation, including the Sinaloa cartel, Mexico’s oldest criminal group known for trafficking drugs, weapons, and people.
Sinaloa has recently profited heavily from fentanyl production, a drug blamed for tens of thousands of U.S. overdose deaths annually. The cartel imports precursor chemicals from China, manufactures the synthetic opioid, and smuggles it into the United States.
Other designated cartels include Jalisco New Generation, Gulf, Northeast, La Nueva Familia Michoacana, and United.
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